3h Ses = PSE, Senn 12 iS Bo aoe ed Be me eet ' Bh, A 48 hee Por degge gs : a Sa AE CR er hey vats PU supercon: tit Wy tsa opting ep aie ret CURE a) wbervnagif aiahieaussene et UALR eine es tat h ey UM vente Ud needed Len erhas he y Cy Shee jae [ idetee ray denmaydeny lai aif. wel erage lay PONTE i) Pye sl gt ony Neieavadint nineties teua gt a toed a . ays + Aa ery Serene Bet Sty 8 bin verona pine? t eats ayes ihe sal a ry 4 iol oan \ y 48), Vera hits Sales yt >te SiGe span grit Seat tay Hh SUN une rer creni hen ity Weak vos tnita dans? 3 ay WWM heen Ey rises aah MOIR vyteal yeas qiea pasa) mth Nate wd av ein, Mate ‘ cy prec nery Ped tt ty Bw tle Sang MWe ey wey tin % 1 5 arise eC Cars gary Tre he in) wy sy vad tye ; ea He) i Ta eerie Duhadanth tiegs fH Line TON bh + Vatdnia yates eeitagt 4 bit tahye Uh aM pal bu Te sly tddlss Say baud UP i ipoantay le iii Visi RAR EL URE PIs babes Alle vib terre Ory arOY UH) La Why dade ata she view ley tie WN ‘n PRO ic 1 Hah Hh Fa f ip tpi eae at Oyrivers at Tas Me AN hedsond a mL ated aires WANG tener) teOR TY nba wi) CCLEar sire AWibemilbsl ying Pe eg thy Weg, ae Hehehe Shot WP ae dean Hash i he sf obit pad iA TE v4, ‘i “et 1 Weiss Pete pe Satya SasuScs Sate BIESRSaSISE i sees ast Sgneees FAST eS at rs ae staat REN NMS ats aty A toe ane? a aS EH \ niet SPIDER Tay a Ake nt fe attstier hay Babe FIELD MUSEUM LIBRARY wn 711 000 AeA CuK OY Wa WY WV VOL. 15, NO. 2 iy 0 FIELD MUSEUM LIBRARY AMERICAN CONCHOLOGIST QUARTERLY BULLETIN OF THE CONCHOLOGISTS OF AMERICA, INC. JUNE 1987 CONCHOLOGISTS OF AMERICA, INC. Collective Devotion To Advancing- Conchology. sererorere® ISIE RRS a 0.0.0 0 0 6 6 6 8 0 | ‘ In 1972, a group of shell collectors saw the need for a national organization devoted to the interests of shell collectors — for amateur collectors interested in the beauty of shells, their scientific aspects and the collecting and preservation of mollusks. The membership includes novices, as well as advanced collectors, scientists and shell dealers from around the country and world. An annual convention is held each year in a different part of the country. OFFICERS President: Richard Goldberg Box 137, Fresh Meadows, New York 11365 Vice-President: Donald J. Young 11690 Parkview Lane, Seminole, Florida 33542 Treasurer: Walter E. Sage, III P.O. Box 8105, Saddle Brook, New Jersey 07662 Secretary: Mary Ellen Akers 1244 Edenville Ave., Clearwater, Florida 33546 Trophy Chairman: Donald Dan 2620 Lou Anne Court, W. Friendship, Maryland 21794 BULLETIN Editor: Lynn Scheu 1222 Holsworth Lane, Louisville, Kentucky 40222 Associate Editor: Margarette Perkins 2121 Dogoon Drive, Louisville, Kentucky 40223 EDITORIAL BOARD: R. Tucker Abbott Donald Dan Charles Glass The Bulletin, an official publication of the Conchologists of America, Inc., is issued free to members. Opinions expressed in signed articles are opinions of the authors, and not necessarily those of Conchologists of America. It is published quarterly in March, June, September and December by Beechmont Press, Louisville, KY. Postmaster: send address changes to the Editor. Articles in the Bulletin are not copyrighted; we welcome republication, with proper credit. Its editors solicit comment, letters and articles of interest to shell collectors, subject to editing. All correspondence should be addressed to the Editor. MEMBERSHIP Memberships run for the calendar year, January through December. Late member- ships shall be retroactive to January. INDIVIDUAL (per year) $10.00; FAMILY & CLUB (receiving one Bulletin) $12.50; OVERSEAS (Air Mail Postage) $20.00. New members send check or money order to the MEMBERSHIP CHAIRPEOPLE Phyllis & Bernard Pipher, 1116 N Street, Tekamah, NE 68061. Renewals are sent to the TREASURER. Back issues are available from the Piphers @ $2.50 each. a ae pire Richard Goldberg Walter Sage 88 Cover: A collage of Pliocene fossils by John Timmerman, Belle Mead, New Jersey. Clockwise from lower left: Mitra heilprini, Conus adversarius, Solenosteira mengeana, Turbinella regina, Fusinus caloosaensis florida, Scaphella floridana, Strombus pugilus alatus, Cymatosyrinx aclinica, Vasum _ horridum, Melongena subcoronata and Murex florifer. PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE We are American Conchologists. What better way to celebrate the Conchologists of America’s 15th Anniversary than to recognize this fact and update the name of the COA Bulletin with this issue to ‘‘AMERICAN CONCHOLOGIST.’’ The name reflects the origin and interest of the organization. As this publication continues to gain prestige in the conchological and malacological world, with a growing membership both here in the United States and overseas, the content and focus of the AMERICAN CONCHOLOGIST will keep pace with this expan- sion. AMERICAN CONCHOLOGIST is your publication, so as you have heard so many times in the past, please support it with articles and pictures of interest. By the time this message is published I will have passed the gavel over to the new administration. It has been a productive and rewarding year for COA. The computerization of the member- ship and editorial aspects of this publication are well underway. It involved resourcing the expertise of various individuals, most notably David Scheu, our editor’s son. This young man single- handedly took all of the information needed to run the various membership tasks and programmed a sophisticated database that will most certainly make the organization more efficient in its operation. I would like to personally thank David for spending his free time on this project. Efficiency was the key word in administrative changes this past year. Many organizational aspects of COA go unseen by most of the membership; they often can be quite burdensome for Executive Board members. I hope future Executive Boards will continue these policies and find additional ways to streamline the behind-the-scenes operations of COA. After all, we are an organization created to promote the study of and interest in conchology, and should spend our time working towards these goals. COA has grown by leaps and bounds since its first convention of 20 conchologists in Middletown, Rhode Island in 1972. Now on the heels of a fabulous convention in St. Louis, we can look forward to the next COA convention in Fort Myers, Florida, ten- tatively scheduled for July 11-15, 1988. Speaking of conventions, those clubs curious about what is involved in hosting a COA con- vention can request a sixteen minute slide/tape presentation created this year outlining all aspects needed to host a successful convention. Write the president for more details. Finally thanks are due every one of my fellow Executive Board members and Committee Chairmen for all of their help during the past year. As in any successful organization, it must be a joint effort. I would, though, like to acknowledge two individuals whose positions with COA keep them busy day-in and day-out, and who were always there to lend a helping hand without being asked — both Walter Sage, our treasurer, and Lynn Scheu, our publications editor, have gone far beyond the call of duty to help effect COA’s smooth running. They both will be an important asset to future administrations. Happy shelling, and until next time. . RICHIE EDITORIAL It was ‘‘The Year of the Fossil’’ at the Florida Shell Shows this spring. Four Shell of the Show awards and a COA Grand Trophy went to fossils. These wins reflected a national trend, focussed on Florida and its famous fossil pits, but spreading outward rapidly. More and more people are sweating it out in the fossil pits, drag- ging home big, gray, odd-looking conchs and vase shells that resemble Indo-Pacific ones, picking through heaps of ancient sand searching for miniatures, poring over their Olsson and Harbison, and learning to pronounce strange names like Fusinus caloosaensis and Pterorytis fluviana. They’re seeking out new fossiling sites and learning lots about geology and paleontology. Newly initiated fossil buffs go home from their Florida vacations to discover that fossils abound back home in Alabama or Ohio, and that they can field-collect along this rich new shelling avenue year round. Lest some of you wonder as you read through this issue, ‘‘What happened to shells — glossy, clean new shells with color and oper- cula?’’ we wish to reassure you. No, we’re not turning the Bulletin into an amateur fossil magazine; in fact, we’ve never even been in a fossil pit. But we do believe that the past has a great deal to teach us about the present, that the study of fossils helps clarify relationships among molluscan families and gives us insight into ‘‘how shells got that way.’’ So, in recognition of the current paleontological trend in conchology, this issue spotlights fossils. Miocene Fossils, anyone? Wallace L. Ashby, of Calvert County, Maryland, wrote a booklet on the Miocene fossils of the Chesapeake region, ‘‘Fossils of Calvert Cliffs.’’ First published in 1979, it is replaced by the updated and greatly expanded second edition. It is available for $5.25 from The Calvert Marine Museum, P.O. Box 97, Solomons, Maryland 20688. VOLUME 15:2 All photos by Richard Kirk All fossils from the collection of Richard Kirk Ecphora. Growth series, Ecphora quadricostata Say. THE LOST COLONY The Story of the Shells of the Chesapeake by Richard Kirk With appreciation to Gary Rosenberg and Earl Spamer for their invaluable assistance. Thanks largely to the generosity of the managers and owners of several landfill operations, notably the owners of the Newburn Pit in Sarasota, access to the incredible richness of the Florida Pliocene fossil formations has been open to amateur and scien- tific collectors for some years now. Fossils, once the province of dusty museum drawers and out-of-print books, have become a major focal point in serious shell collecting. As a result, a number of private collections of Florida fossils rival and even surpass museum holdings in depth and scope. Those lucky enough to pur- sue regular collecting trips to Sarasota alone over the years have amassed collections which astonish the first-time viewer, no mat- ter what he knows about either shells or fossils. So legendary has Florida become for the beauty and variety of its shells and fossils that many East Coast collectors have concentrated solely on the fossils of this area. However Florida, rich though it is, is not the last word in fossils, nor is the Pliocene Epoch. Much of the eastern United States, from Texas to Delaware, is incredibly rich in Eocene and Miocene molluscan fossils, remains of a fauna vastly different from today’s mollusks. It is the purpose of this article to look at the northern part of that region, the Chesapeake: roughly the area from Maryland to North Carolina. This segment of the Atlantic coast is a popular resort area. In winter though, the resort towns often resemble ghost towns, in- habited only by a handful of natives and those intrepid incor- rigibles, the birdwatchers. For shell collectors, summer or winter, the area holds little interest. Perhaps one of the poorest areas in the U.S. for collecting mollusks, it hosts only a handful of endemic species, none of them collectors’ items. All other species can be collected further north or south, where in either case more interesting collecting can be done. When you think about it, the paucity of the Chesapeake molluscan fauna is surprising. It is situated at the same latitude as the Mediterranean, central California, central Japan — all areas where mollusks proliferate. But the obvious scarcity of shells in the Middle Atlantic States is surely due to the unusually severe vacillations in water temperatures from summer to winter. In summer, the warm seventies is the rule, generating near tropical conditions too warm for the survival of truly boreal species (although boreal species do live in the constantly cold deep waters AMERICAN CONCHOLOGIST Pectinidae. Left to right: Chesapecten jeffersonia Say, Amusium mortoni Ravenel (Carolinas and South), Chesapecten madisonia. here). Winter water conditions are just the opposite: the extremely cold water rules out survival of tropical species. As a result of this unusual seasonal temperature variation, only very hardy species can survive in the Chesapeake year-round — Lunatia heros (Say, 1822), the Northern Moon; Polinices duplicatus (Say, 1822), the Shark Eye; Crepidula fornicata (Linne’, 1758), the Slipper Shell; Busycon carica (Gmelin, 1791), the Knobby Whelk; Busycon canaliculatum (Linne’, 1758), the Channeled Whelk; Argopecten irradians (Lamarck, 1819), the Bay Scallop; Crassostrea virginica (Gmelin, 1791), the Chesapeake Bay Oyster; and Mercenaria mercenaria (Linne’, 1758), the Quahog Clam — and all these species are found north and/or south of the Chesapeake as well. The distribution patterns of these species are very irregular by today’s norms. Scaphella junonia (Lamarck, 1804) and Fasciolaria lilium G. Fischer, 1807 are found from Cape Hatteras, North Carolina south to Mexico, while the Epitonium greenlan- dicum (Perry, 1811) and Neptunea lyrata (Gmelin, 1791) occur from Cape Hatteras north into polar seas. The ranges of the Junonia and the Banded Tulip are characteristic of hundreds of species of the Carolinian marine faunal province, while the Greenland Wentletrap and the New England Neptune typify species from the Boreal Province. The shell fauna of the Middle Atlantic States, then, is an anomaly, at best, an exception to the rules of distributional range. The Chesapeake Volutes. Lower row, left to right: Scaphella species (Md. — largest Scaphella); Scaphella typus Conrad (Md.); Scaphella solitaria Conrad (Va.). Upper row: Scaphella species, (Va.); Scaphella mutabilis Conrad (Va.); Scaphella obtusa Em- mons (Va); Scaphella dubia Broderip (Va.). PAGE 4 AMERICAN CONCHOLOGIST R. Tucker Abbott notes this anomaly in his classic Golden Guide, Sea Shells of North America, which marks out the Virginian Sub- province to allow for these unusual but consistent distributional patterns. For many years, I puzzled over this irregularity. The cause lay just below the surface, but it took me years to stumble upon it. (Of course the answer had been worked out by scholars a century and more ago, but because their work was not readily available, I had the distinct pleasure of making the rediscovery myself.) Fossils gave me the answer. I had been a sheller for some thirty years when I first saw the famous Florida shell fossils. I was absolutely dumfounded to see, alongside the familar-looking ancestors of Strombus alatus (Gmelin, 1791); Fasciolaria lilium; Conus spurius Gmelin, 1791; Phyllonotus pomum (Gmelin, 1791) and Pleuroploca gigantea (Kiener, 1840), such completely exotic and fantastic fossils as Vasum horridum Heilprin, 1887; Xancus regina (Heilprin, 1887); Mitra heilprini Cossman, 1899; Murex textilis Gabb, 1873; Conus adversarius Dall, 1890; Cypraea problematica (Heilprin, 1887) and their like. It was truly a mind-widening experience. a Tess le ‘ Ly Virginia Gastropods. Lower row, left to right: Pterorytis um- brifer Conrad; Busycon concinnum Conrad; Marginella (Bullata) oviformis Conrad; Ptychosalpinx fossulata Conrad. Middle row: Calliostoma philanthropus Conrad; Calliostoma mitchelli Con- rad; Ptychosalpinx laqueata Conrad; Oliva canaliculata Lea; Tur- ritella alticostata Conrad; Turritella species. Upper row: Calliostoma_ harrissii Dall; Sinum fragilis Conrad; Olivella species, Calliostoma basicum Dall; Ptychosalpinx altilus Conrad. I thence made my way immediately to a Florida fossil pit, much in the same way a man makes his way to a steak dinner after weeks of fasting! And I don’t have to tell you, I won’t ever forget my first day in a fossil pit. It was about 95 degrees and raining, and the mosquitoes were biting relentlessly, but I barely noticed. I thought I had died and gone to heaven. I collected over a hundred species that day, and still they had to drag me out of that pit after dark, kicking and screaming! Thenceforth, every opportunity found this misplaced Philadelphian in the Florida fossil pits. My interest never waned — each new experience was always a greater thrill than the last. I could never wait to get back. But then I met the indomitable Wylda Stephens of Norfolk, Virginia, lifelong friend of Bill Old, and fossil collector extraor- dinaire, who recognized my ravenous enthusiasm and invited me to go fossiling in Tidewater Virginia. I agreed to go, yet in the back of my mind I envisioned fossilized oyster and clam shells, at best a whelk or two, badly eroded and falling apart in my hands. Once in Tidewater, however, my visions of boredom soon vanished as the fossil pit worked its magic. The first things that caught my eye in the landfill piles were GIGANTIC scallop shells. I started salivating! Within five minutes I saw a huge piece of tan snail with blade-like brick red ridges protruding from the body whorl. This, Wylda told me, was an Ecphora. I then found a smallish (one and a half inches) buccinid-like snail shell with VOLUME 15:2 beautiful undulations and ridges. Wylda immediately identified a Ptychosalpinx. The generic name was familiar, I had in my collec- tion a Ptychosalpinx globulus (Dall, 1889), the ony living species in the genus, and it did indeed resemble that species. Then I found a cone. A cone, in Virginia! Then a perfect juvenile volute, a Scaphella, 1 was told — Scaphella obtusa (Emmons, 1858). OBTUSA?! And on and on it went. By the end of the day I had found a perfect small Ecphora, bright brick red, with its pro- toconch intact. And a whole bucket full of three species of Chesapecten scallops. Do I have to tell you I was hooked again? Now every opportunity finds this not-too-displaced Philadelphian fossiling along the shores of Chesapeake Bay. I have found that fossiling in the Chesapeake is in many ways more difficult than fossiling in Sarasota. There, in a day’s fossil- ing you can easily come home with 200 acceptable specimens of some 75 species, always with something new or special. In Virginia, the same eight hours’ labor will net, say, 50 specimens of 35 species. The fossil material is not as durable, and the gastropods are fewer and farther between. But it is true that the best loved prizes are hardest won. And, in a sense, the real fascination with fossiling in the Chesapeake is the sense of wonder at what one finds. The Florida Pliocene material is truly fantastic, much of it relating directly to fauna living just offshore today. Indeed, one of the great joys of that fossil material is that it is so instructive about the present. By collecting and studying this material, we can learn volumes about geological history without opening a book. But be warned! If hooked, open the books you WILL! It is an incredible thrill to place modern day specimens next to their ancestral counterparts, reducing millions of years to a matter of inches. And such an event as the ‘‘discovery’’ of a Mitra helenae Radwin & Bibbey, 1972 becomes a deja vu, a rediscovery, right before your eyes, because you’ve known the fossil Mitra heilprini all along. You wonder why certain species survived and flourished, while others didn’t. But, as I said before, the material of the Chesapeake provides the real sense of wonder. In my ignorance, I went there expecting to find a few rather uninspiring specimens. But I found nothing of the sort. Almost immediately upon entering that pit I realized I was on ferra incognita. There were not a few species here — there were hundreds! And I recognized almost nothing, either from my knowledge of the Florida fossils or from the recent local fauna. On this unknown land, twenty miles from Chesapeake Bay, I found moon snails, myriad scallops, cones, volutes, sundials, spindles, top shells, auger shells, nutmeg shells, turritellas, tur- rids, wentletraps, limpets of all descriptions, slipper shells, cup- and-saucer shells, gigantic pearl oysters, geoduck clams and Larger Maryland Miocene Mollusks. Left to right: Busycon coronatum Conrad; Conus diluvianus Green; Ecphora tricostata; Busycon fusiforme Conrad; Isocardia markoei Conrad; Buc- cinofusus paricis Conrad. VOLUME 15:2 Smaller Yorktown Formation Gastropods. Lower row, left to right: Pterorytis conradi Dall (dorsal and ventral views); _, Lirosoma sulcosa Conrad; Scapaspira strumosa Conrad; Conus marylandicus Green. Upper row: Trophon species; Urosalpinx trossula Conrad; Trophon tetricus Conrad; Peristernia silicata Conrad; Architectonica nupera Conrad; Fossarus lyra Conrad; Compsodrillia chowanensis Gardner. cockle shells, not to mention the Ecphoras. Since then I have col- lected many more of the same, and I have found a 7yphis, bonnet shells, strange Murex species, carrier shells, olives, and even stranger genera which, like the Ecphora, have gone the way of the dinosaurs. Obviously, the geological history of the Mid Atlantic States has been different from Florida’s past. In the Chesapeake area, in the late Miocene/early Pliocene Epochs, the water was deeper than it is now (as it was in Florida), probably due to the melting polar ice caps. And obviously the Chesapeake enjoyed a warmer climate year round, because the species that lived here were typical of to- day’s warm water regions. The presence of many tropical families Fasciolariidae, Turritellidae, Cancellariidae and Terebridae as well as Oliva, Olivella, Scaphella, Phalium, Typhis, Xenophora, Conus, Pterorytis and Architectonica — clearly indicates warm water conditions in the Miocene/Pliocene Chesapeake. Pectinidae, Cardiidae, Naticidae, Glycymerididae, Turridae, and such genera as Busycon, Calliostoma and Trophon were well represented too; but these groups are found in all temperate zones, so they are not as indicative of tropical conditions as the first group. The Chesapeake province, if it can be called that, was somewhat complex. Not all species are found in all localities, and not all species are found at all levels, which in most cases means that species present during one period were absent the next, at Some Larger Species. Lower row, left to right: Fusinus burnsii Dall; Crucibulum grandis Say; in situ on valve of Eucrassatella undulata Say; Busycon amoenum Conrad; Fasciolaria cronlyensis Gardner (Waccamaw Formation only). Upper row: Fasciolaria scalarina Heilprin; Crucibulum auricula Gmelin;Lunatia heros Say. AMERICAN CONCHOLOGIST PAGE 5 least at any given locality. At least five fossiliferous geological formations in the area are well known. In Maryland alone there are three, all traditionally assigned to the Miocene: the Calvert, the Choptank and the St. Mary’s, each formation overlying the older in that order. In Virginia and most of North Carolina, the dominant formation is the Yorktown formation, traditionally assigned to the Miocene but now increasingly considered to be Pliocene. Whatever the actual dating, there is a clear interrelation among all neighboring formations, in that a very significant percentage of species appears throughout the several member for- mations of the group. In southern North Carolina, the Dupin marls appear, and south of that one finds the Waccamaw forma- tion. Particularly in this formation, many of the Florida forms and species begin to make an appearance, mixing in with the more northerly and endemic forms. However, few Florida (Caloosahatchie/Pinecrest) fossils are found in the far northern reaches of the Chesapeake formations. The question of which Florida fossils are found in Virginia and Maryland makes for an interesting trivia question, and the answer holds some surprises. Some shellers could guess a few species: Polinices duplicatus, Terebra dislocata (Say, 1822), Mercenaria mercenaria and Crepidula fornicata were, and still are, found in both areas. Florida fossil collectors would correctly guess Conus marylandicus Green, 1830 by its giveaway name, Beyond that come the real surprises: Terebra unilineata (Conrad, 1841), Sconsia hodgii (Conrad, 1841), Xenophora conchyliophora (Born, 1780), Crucibulum piliolum (H. C. Lea, 1845), Xancus regina, and Fasciolaria scalarina Heilprin, 1887. This group is particularly interesting because all are extinct in both areas except for the car- rier shell, still living to the south. In southern North Carolina the number of Florida species increases dramatically — most species with the name of carolinensis appear, among many, many others. Unusual Gastropods from the St. Mary’s Formation of Maryland. Lower row, left to right: Phalium caelata Conrad; Typhis acuticosta Conrad; Sthenorhytis expansa Conrad; Surcula rotifora Conrad (a turrid); Cancellaria alternata Conrad. Upper row: Eudolium species; Terebra (Hastula) simplex Conrad; Bulliopsis marylandica Conrad; Xenophora conchyliophora born; Surcula biscantenaria Conrad (a turrid). With this in mind it is of special interest to observe that the Sarasota pit has revealed the presence of a large number of ‘*Yorktown’’ fossils, as they are often called, or more northerly species, particularly in certain layers deep in the pit. These species include the well-known Ecphoras, but also Chesapectens, north- ern Scaphella volutes, notably mutabilis Conrad, 1834, and other species. It would seem that during this ancient epoch, cyclic fluc- tuations of hundreds or thousands of years duration brought somewhat warmer conditions, allowing some of the hardier Florida species to become established in the north. These warm periods alternated with cooler ones when the northern species migrated south, and the warm water species retreated to more southerly sanctuaries. This pattern repeated more or less uninter- ruptedly for millions of years. Then, rather abruptly, at the onset of the Pleistocene, something on the order of a natural holocaust must have occurred. A sudden climate change established today’s conditions in this marine envionment. From Hatteras southward, Pliocene fossils under visible light. Clockwise from top: Scaphella floridana, Fasciolaria hunteria, Mitra heilprini, Conus cherokus, Conus adversarius. (£11, 1/8 sec. 2 spotlights) FLUORESCENCE IN PLIOCENE FOSSILS by Uwe Heine During a recent trip to Sarasota, I was disappointed to learn that I would be unable to collect Pliocene marine fossils in the local ‘‘shell pit.’’ The high cost of liability insurance has greatly restricted public collecting. Fortunately a local resident who had landscaped her yard with washed shell marl from the local pit graciously allowed me to collect in her yard. In spite of the destructive mechanical washing process, I found many fine specimens — Scaphella, Strombus, Conus, Siphocyp- raea, Fasciolaria, Vasum, Turbinella and many others. The fossils were generally chalky white or gray, with little or no evidence of the original color pattern. Markings are most visible on Scaphella floridana (Heilprin, 1887) and Conus cherokus Olsson & Petit, 1964, but even these are very faint. And it is likely that exposure to the elements has further bleached these specimens. Shortly after returning from Florida, I examined these fossils SHELLS OF THE CHESAPEAKE (cont.) subtropical conditions prevailed and present day Carolinian species took over the coastal areas of southeastern U.S. Condi- tions must have changed enough however, to have caused a large scale extinction of a rather significant percentage of the former molluscan inhabitants of the Florida Pliocene. But it was in the Chesapeake area that the real cataclysm struck. Here a diverse marine faunal province hosting many hun- dreds of temperate water species became a molluscan desert. 85-90% of the molluscan species of the area were annihilated. Lost were two or three species of Olives, several Olivella, two winged Murex, twenty species of pectens, five Scaphella volutes, the Ecphora, the world’s distribution center for Ptychosalpinx whelks, several Fusinus, Fasciolaria, at least ten species of Tur- ritella, a few wentletraps, sundials, 7rophons, cones, at least ten species of Calliostoma, turrids, tellins, and on and on. The Chesapeake became the Lost Colony. And what survived the cataclysm? You guessed it! Our old and much-maligned friends Busycon canaliculata, Mercenaria mercenaria, Crassostrea virginica, Polinices duplicatus, Lunatia heros, Placopecten magellanicus (Gmelin, 1791) and Crepidula fornicata. Hence their distribution centers on the Mid-Atlantic states. The riddle for me was solved — these species with the anomalous distribution patterns are the lonely descendants of a once great marine faunal province. Thanks to those species, I now have a better appreciation for geological history. Also, I think I appreciate those species themselves a little more, knowing what they have survived. Still, I am an inveterate shell collector, and those species make me a little nostalgic for what the Chesapeake region might have been to us shell collectors, as well as to the scalloping industry. Think of what the scallop dumps would have produced for us then! Imagine having five volutes in your collection from The same fossils under ultraviolet light. To eliminate glare from the UV light and allow the fluorescence to show, an orange filter was used for this photo. (f11, 3 min. 2 4-bulb UV lights) under an ultraviolet lamp, and found them to show strong fluores- cent patterns. The markings on S. floridana and C. cherokus, faint in normal light, showed bright orange or yellow fluores- cence. Conus adversarius Dall, 1890, Busycon spiratum (Lamarck, 1816), Cancellaria rotunda (Dall, 1892) and Fasciolaria lilium hunteria (G. Perry, 1811) showed no evidence of color in visible light but revealed their patterns under ultraviolet light. In all cases, the markings corresponded with those expected for each species, based on modern equivalents or other fossil species. I don’t know if this phenomenon is common to all Pliocene fossil shells, is particular to certain localities, or develops only after being sun bleached. Both short wave and long wave ultra- violet light (300 and 365 nm respectively) produced this effect with similar intensities. This method of visualization may be of great value where the markings of a particular species have not been well preserved. Virginia, or ten Calliostoma, or twenty species of scallops in all color forms. Eat your heart out! Better yet, go collect them as fossils, on the landlubbing shores of the Chesapeake Bay — poignant and beautiful reminders of the natural history of our ever-changing, ever-fascinating mother Earth. From Virginia. Lower row, left to right: Chama congregata Con- rad; Plicatula marginata Say; Astarte undulata Say; Diodora catilliformis Pilsbry; Diodora redimicula virgilina Gardner. Upper row: Crucibulum costatum Say; Glycymeris subovalis Conrad; Cardita arata Conrad. PROCEEDINGS OF THE MALACOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF LONDON and its continuation, the JOURNAL OF MOLLUSCAN STUDIES (England) — back issues available from American Malacologists, P.O. Box 1192, Burlington, MA 01803. Murex chipolanus Dall, 1890. The 34mm fossil from the Miocene age, 16 million years ago, was found in the Chipola Formation, Clarksville, Flordia. PREHISTORIC FLORIDA MUREX by Les Heinzl Ancient murex are commonly found in the marl pits throughout the state of Florida. These ancestral forms of present day species provide clues as to how many recent murex species evolved. Fossil murex found in various Florida pits indicate not only that most of Florida was under water at various times in the past several million years, but also that the climate was more tropical than today’s. Several extinct murex as well as extant species can be found in Florida’s Newburn Pit. | A 55mm Muricanthus species from the Pliocene, Pinecrest For- | mation, Newburn Pit, Sarasota, Florida, 2-3 million years old. Subpterynotus textilis (Gabb, 1873) from the Pliocene, Caloosahatchee Formation, LaBelle, Florida, is 60mm. Fig. 1. ‘‘Will the real Conus hirasei please stand up!’’ THE FINE ART OF DEFRAUDING by Charles Glass & Robert Foster On his last trip to the Philippines the peripatetic author came across some of the finest artwork yet produced by the masters of Mactan. We have in the past called your attention to repaired holes, spires and growth breaks, so well camouflaged that even experienced eyes could miss them, but now they have outdone themselves by reproducing the entire pattern for one of the rarer species of Cones, namely Conus hirasei. To their credit (and his relief) they did not try to fool him, as, indeed, others have been fooled, with this ersatz mollusk, but pointed out the artistry, claiming that the cone was actually a dead specimen of Conus ione that had been ‘‘doctored.’’ The deception was so exceptional that he had to have the bogus cone, though not for the con- siderable price of a hirasei! Back home we compared it to our hirasei as well as to our ione, both of which are pictured in figure 1, with the phony specimen in the middle, in case you couldn’t tell. Frankly we think that our ‘‘boys’’ in Mactan were mistaken in thinking that the artist had used an ione, in this case at least, but that the painted specimen is indeed a dead Conus hirasei which was painted and then shellacked to give it a passable sheen. The sculpture of the spire in particular doesn’t match that of C. ione. We would suggest that any potential purchasers of Conus hirasei examine the specimen very critically and that caveat emp- tor very much, indeed, as we saw many other phony specimens around. KONK THAT CONCH! Do Latin names intimidate you? Do you say ‘‘Geoduck’’ or ““goo0eyduck?’’ Can you say ‘‘Orbigny’’ and ‘‘R6ding?’’ Take the first step toward mastering the language of conchology by learn- ing to pronounce it. Under the tutelage of Tucker Abbott via his newly released cassette tape, SAY IT RIGHT!, the tongue-tied amateur can learn how to pronounce the names of all the species in his Golden Guide, SEASHELLS OF NORTH AMERICA. Dr. Abbott, on the 35 minute tape, pronounces 1,250 generic and specific names alphabetically, following the index. Say it Right! is intended as a guide and not a bible, because even Latin pronun- ciation is subject to regional influences. Also included are a pronunciation glossary of conchological terms, some often mis-pronounced common names and terms, family names and the names of scientific authors. Say it Right! provides a companion folder containing an index and counter guide to major genera and 100 glossary terms and family names. The cassette is available from American Malacologists, P.O. Box 1192, Burlington, Massachusetts 01803 for $10 postpaid. AN ANNOTATED CHECKLIST OF THE RECENT MARINE GASTROPODA FROM PUERTO RICO by Dr. Edgardo Ortiz-Corps, Dept. of Biology, Humacao University College, Puerto Rico, 743 species, synonyms, all known references, biology, nomenclatural changes, bibliography. American Malacologists, P.O. Box 1192, Burlington, MA 01803. 220 pp. Paperback. $9 postpaid. / . ile ss Se Us ce ote Ui ti Some of the 50 species of cones collected at Palau. SHELLING ON PALAU or YOU ARE GOING SHELLING WHERE? by Alta Van Landingham Since 1973 I have been in a heat to go shelling on Palau. That year, our daughter gave us a copy of THE LIVING REEF by D. Faulkner. The pictures were enchanting, but the text overwhelmed me. Palau is the oldest of the volcanic islands, older even than Hawaii. Much of the Pacific marine life is suspected to have originated at Palau. If you are a Dedicated Shell Collector, how does knowing that make you feel? You just HAVE to get there, some way, sometime. This was my year, 1987. I began over a year ago, trying to find a travel agent who as much as knew where Palau was. Even given my ‘‘expert’’ knowledge at telling where it was located, it was still hard to find a travel agent who could come up with a program to get me there. I had several friends who wanted to go to Palau also, so I persisted and finally found a way to get there and a place to stay. On January 18th nine of us assembled at Los Angeles to begin our trip.* For those of you who don’t know, Palau is in the Western Caroline Islands, Micronesia, due east of the island of Mindanao in the southern Philippines. Owned by Japan until after World War II, it then became a United Nations Trust Territory, admin- istered by the United States. Very recently Palau became the inde- pendent Republic of Belau. It is a very beautiful island, and the people are handsome and compatible. But on to the shelling, which is what this is all about. Our boat captain said he was not a shell collector, but he certainly knew where to take us. The first day on the boat, he was rather quiet and reserved, perhaps taking the measure of our group and trying to decide how to respond to us. He must have figured us out quickly, for on the second day he had his mask and snorkel and he was one of the gang. For a non-shell collector, he certainly knew his stuff. He told us where we would find this and that, and we did. Each stop, he would find a lot of shells and share them with all of us if we wanted them. And mostly we did!! He had bet- ter eyes than most of us and found things we didn’t see, and he was good about showing each of us what to look for. That is my job as a shelling guide, but I was happy to let him usurp my authority. We stopped at every type of locality we could find in the waters of Palau — sandy beaches, hard rock bottoms, dead coral bot- toms, live coral bottoms, sandy reefs, coral reefs, grassy areas, rocky areas — a wonderful array of habitats. And we found a bit over 200 species, most of which were plentiful. The last two days we all became selective in our collecting: we brought our good finds up to the boat and shared, then threw back many, many shells. All of us had as many shells as we could possibly bring home. Among them were some rare and unusual shells. I personally found Conus gloriamaris and a Murex annandalei. The story of my M. annandalei began as a joke. I had Cowries — only a few of the many species Palau boasts. been teasing the others in the group at dinner the night before my big find because they are mostly all swimmers and I am not, but I had found many, many more cowries than they had. So, only half jokingly, I said, ‘‘Tomorrow, follow your leader and she will show you how to find them.’’ The next day, they were ready for me, and as we jumped off the boat into the water, I was surrounded and someone said, ‘‘Oh Great Leader, show us how to do it!”’ Amidst laughter, I got under water and the very first rock I turned over had Murex annandalei on the underside. Somehow, very casually, I plucked it off, stood up, and said, ‘‘See, this is how you do it!’’ I think they were all ready to drown me. The murex was in about three feet of water, under a rock which was resting on clean sand. This species is usually found in deep water. One thing I should mention here is that any shell I personally found was in less than five feet of water. I use a mask and snorkel, but cannot swim (at all, anyway, ever!). And I found it to be true in Palau, as in the Red Sea and other exotic places I’ve shelled, that some of the best shells can be found in shallow water. Some divers on our trip did not find as much in deeper water as we found in less than five feet. I am not implying that there are no shells in deeper water — just describing what we found the case to be. The clue seems to be to use a mask and snorkel. Turn rocks and look in among the coral and grasses for the shells. My pride and joy, the Conus gloriamaris, was a dead collected but very perfect specimen. I found it in a little rubble pile about three feet deep, outside a hole in coral which I believe was an octopus hole. In the rubble pile, which I investigated later, after about half an hour of rejoicing over my Glory of the Seas, I found other cones, cerithiums and large Terebridae. My cone is 3% inches long, with an absolutely perfect lip and spire. Its presence here is quite unexplained, because C. gloriamaris is a deep water cone. Our novice on the trip, Carol Minge, turned up another shocker, a Cypraea aurantium. She found it in 3 to 3% feet of water and it was dead, although it still contained fresh animal remains. We have no idea how it met its end or why it was here on a rock in the shallows. Golden Cowries live in crevices and caves in coral reefs, often on the reef face, in 8 - 20 meters. While night collecting near our hotel, we found a lot of Cypraea mauritiana, mantles retracted, sitting on rusty-colored limestone rocks. We’d search in vain for them by day, on and under the same rocks. But again the next night, there they’d be again, sitting on those limestone rocks, out of the water. C. mauritiana usually prefer dark granite or black lava rock, but in Palau they apparently make do with limestone. We found some 47 other species of Cypraea there in Palau. We boated each day to a different location in the Koror area, shelling mostly the rock islands. But the Tiger Cowrie, Cypraea tigris chose a different habitat — clean sand among Turtle Grass. I col- lected a number of them, all sitting on sand, mantle retracted. In fact, that surprised me about all of the Cypraea that I collected — almost all were exposed, and not one had the mantle extended. Other places I have collected, Cypraea usually had their mantles up, shells hidden, whether they were collected on sand, under VOLUME 15:2 rocks, in grass or in crevices. Cypraea arabica were found in all sorts of habitats — under rocks, on sand and grass, again always with their shells exposed. We found Cones in almost all of the habitats — for instance, I believe the most common cone there was C. /itteratus. I collected on clean sand, moving among grass, under or on top of rocks, in or under coral. I never found it making trails in the sand as I did the other cone species. I found Conus boeticus, telatus, eburneus, all making sand trails. However, I also found them under rocks and in and under coral. It certainly seems to me that they like a varied habitat. In my wildest imagination, I never thought I could collect so many Lambis lambis that I would say to myself, ‘‘Well, okay, today I will not even look at them.’’ But after two days, I had more than I really needed, and shared them, and still found more which I left behind. The same thing happened with Conus lit- teratus, marmoreus, textile, striatus, and so on. Terebellum terebellum have always fascinated me, and I cer- tainly never expected to collect my own. But I did. They are the feistiest little animals! I could hardly keep them in my hand — they were on the move, and fast! Harpa major is also a fascinating animal. It is beautiful too, patterned just like its shell. It does a strange thing I have never seen another shell do. When the animal is touched, the first and maybe the second section of the foot drop off. I suppose it is a survival thing — if they lose a segment, predators thinks that’s all there is. I have had over 600 live species in my aquariums to observe and handle, and I really thought I had seen just about everything. But it certainly was a shock to me to see segment after segment drop off of that harp. On the sandy bottoms outside the reef, we collected terebras — I found nine different species of terebras! I am not sure how I managed to collect even one of them, because the current was ter- rible, and I was badly beaten around. But through all of that, I did manage to collect. I found them in water 4-5 feet deep by following their trails in the sand. Even though it was awfully rough that day and the current was running strong, terebras were moving around and were easy to spot, just hard to get to! Being a non-swimmer, I was always making sure the boat was in sight, and on some of these reef trips, I was verrrry leery. I looked up one time, and the anchor of the boat was bobbing along at a fast clip. I tried to catch it, but the water got too deep for me, so I yelled my lungs out for someone with authority to come and catch it. Finally someone did. That time, and lots of others, I wondered, ‘‘What am I doing here?’’ but then later, something wonderful would turn up and I would know exactly what I was doing there, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. *We represented several different states and shell clubs: from the North Carolina Shell Club came Shirley Collins, Willis Slane, - \ " { All photos by Alta Van Landingham A few of Palau’s many bivalves. AMERICAN CONCHOLOGIST PAGE 9 Marguerite Thomas and myself. From the Gulf Coast Shell Club were Jean and Pete Clark, Jane Stark, and again, yours truly. Pat Burke represented the Sanibel Club, and a novice collector from Rome, Georgia, Carol Minge, made the ninth. Entrainment of Larval Oysters, Special edition No. 3 of the AMU Bulletin, reports the proceedings of a symposium on the larval biology of the American Oyster, Crassostrea virginica, the factors that limit its productivity, dispersal and survival. It may be ordered from AMU Corresponding Secretary Paula M. Mik- kelsen, Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution, 5600 Old Dixie Highway, Ft. Pierce, FL. 33450-9719, at a cost of $14 to AMU members, $20 to non-members. COMPENDIUM OF SEASHELLS (third printing, revised) by R. Tucker Abbott and S. Peter Dance. 1986. 411 pp., color photographs. American Malacologists, Inc. $49.95. This book has proven to be a most popular and very useful book since the first printing in 1983. The third printing, with its green binding and dust jacket, has afforded the authors the opportunity to make some forty changes in nomenclature in- dicated by recent research studies and sharp-eyed conchologists. WHAT?’S EATING MY SHELLS? by F. R. E. Davies No doubt most readers of the COA Bulletin observed, in the December 1986 issue, the short note from the Bishop Museum Department of Zoology regarding the deterioration of the polished surface of many shells, known as Byne’s Disease. This condition was drawn to my attention by Mrs. Thora Whitehead of Bris- bane, Australia, during our continuing correspondence. Thora has supplied the following information, together with a number of eroded specimens: 1. She has no problems with shells stored in metal cabinets. 2. Cabinets which incorporate ‘‘chipboard,’’ made with a lignin- base glue, are worse than her solid wood cabinets. 3. Some glossy shells showed noticeable dullness as early as the fifth month. Some cowries left undisturbed for 20 years were chalk white. 4. In her wooden cabinets the shells never occupied more than one-third the volume; i.e. there was a large head space. (This confirmed a theory of mine — that the etching would be greatest on the upper horizontal exposed surfaces, but with observable damage on surfaces within a mass of shells left undisturbed over a long time.) 5. There is a vast range of susceptibility to Byne’s Disease amongst the various mollusks — almost every specimen of the Bullidae and Marginellidae was affected, while her bivalves showed no visible effect. Byne’s first paper was published in 1899 under the title ‘‘The Corrosion of Shells in Cabinets.’’ He concluded that the problem was caused by living organisms, hence the use of the word ‘“disease,’’ and he declared that the etching was caused by butyric acid from the cabinet wood acting on the calcium carbonate of the shells. In 1985, N. H. Tennent and T. Baird published a detailed paper on the subject, and their extensive and thorough analyses determined that most of the efflorescence was produced by the volatile acetic and formic acids generated from the oak cabinet wood. Their investigation deals only with molluscan storage in oak cabinets in the temperate climate of northwestern Europe. This article addresses the long-term storage of collections where annual cycles of seasonally hot, humid weather prevail. These are the typical monsoon and trade wind areas of the tropics and subtropics — northeast Australia, the middle American coast from Chesapeake Bay to the Caribbean, Southeast Asia, and many micro-zones such as the windward side of the larger Pacific islands — Hawaii for instance. Since the etching is a problem only in containers made of wood or wood products (cardboard or paper), we must consider the derivatives of wood as possible culprits. PAGE 10 1. LIGNIN — This complex substance could be called the con- nective tissue of trees. Although commercially important, it is non-volatile and has no direct effect on stored shells. However, in the manufacture of bleached wood pulp, the lignin is removed by the use of sulfite; thus cardboard, paper, even tissue paper, may carry residual traces of sulfurous acid. This acid is very volatile and could be a minor source of etch- ing, especially in a warm, damp atmosphere. 2. ROSIN and ROSIN OIL — Some is present in all coniferous lumber. Since rosin and rosin oil are constituents of most wood finishes — stains and varnishes for example — and rosin oil is an essential ingredient in paint dryers, most printers’ inks, glues and plaster sizes, this could be another trace source of trouble. (See next two items.) 3. ABIETIC ACID — This may be considered purified rosin, with the same minor effects possible. But it can also act asa substrate (food) for the growth of lactic and butyric acid- producing bacteria. In warm, damp atmospheres it is possible to have traces of these acids formed; both are strong enough to etch mollusc shells. Actually, this suggests that Byne’s conclu- sions may, in part, be correct for the specimens he investi- gated! 4. SUCCINIC ACID — This acid occurs in some fossils and resinous woods, and it is produced by microscopic fungi and lichens. It is one of the stronger organic acids, and even in minute concentration could cause trouble. 5. ACETIC ACID — After reading the Tenant-Baird paper (see paragraph 3 of this article), it seems clear that oak wood near shells creates a potential problem, but read on. In diluted form, acetic acid becomes vinegar, which is used in every household. It boils at about the same temperature as water and has similar vapor tensions to water. In an atmosphere of high humidity, even minute traces of acetic acid will eat up your shells! It is advisable to keep all substances which contain or could generate acetic acid in a spot remote from your shells: foods such as pickles, sauces and dressings, many drugs (aspirin and similar remedies) paint solvents and stripping mix- tures, etc .. . If you think this is nitpicking, remember that we are talking about minute concentrations of chemically active substances, elevated temperatures and long spans of time. Beyond any doubt the real ‘‘devil’’ is CARBON DIOXIDE, in combination with high humidity and a cycle of warm days and cool nights. To understand this, we must first consider some basic facts about carbon dioxide (CO,) and water (H,O). Although it constitutes only 0.3% of air, at 20°C it is about thirty times as soluble in water as oxygen. The significance of this observation is that when humid air cools and the vapor condenses to drops of water — rain or dew — the CO, is leached out of the air. Even more important is the fact that when CO, dissolves in water, each molecule combines chemically with one molecule of water (H,O) to form carbonic acid (H,Co;). This acid is strong enough to react with calcium carbonate, the major component of mollusc shells, and induce a reaction known as the carbonate- bicarbonate cycle. Now for the curve ball! The free carbonic acid attacks the calcium carbonate to form calcium bicarbonate, which is soluble in the carbonic acid contained in dew. When a droplet of ‘‘dew”’ evaporates, the calcium bicarbonate reverts to a speck of calcium carbonate, now removed from its original location in the shell. During this reaction, all the CO, is regenerated into the closed system when the atmosphere warms up again during the day, thus completing the cycle. It must be realized that this condensation or dew forms on the fastest cooling surfaces in the system, those that are the better heat conductors. In descending order these are metal, shells and wood. Clearly, in a metal container, the shells do not attract this carbonated dew, but in a wooden or cardboard container, they do. Although this scenario implies a modicum of etching daily dur- ing a long rainy season,the layer of condensation is only a few AMERICAN CONCHOLOGIST VOLUME 15:2 molecules thick, and in each cycle, the effect last for only a few seconds, until the bicarbonate is exhausted. Each time this hap- pens, the CO, is recycled, so, in theory, it stays in the system in- definitely. As the Scots express it, ‘‘Many a mickle makes a muckle,”’ and over a period of years the deterioration can develop into a disaster. Clearly the degree of erosion is dependent on the type of sur- face of each species, together with the variable sparing nature of the chitinous matrix in which the calcium carbonate crystals of the shell are embedded. Further, in nature, calcium carbonate exists in two mineral forms. Most mollusks and corals lay down the harder form, aragonite, which, over a long span, tends to con- vert to the softer calcite. Put in simple terms, the longer shells are stored, the more susceptible they become to erosion and other damage. We are faced with the knowledge that Byne’s Disease is not a single entity, but rather a host of factors, whose one common characteristic is the slow deterioration of your shell collection. Soon I hope to offer some recommendations for slowing this in- sidious destruction. This in itself could develop into a formidable task, and will require considerable investigation. Meanwhile, if your grandmother’s pearls have been left neglected for the past thirty years, perhaps you should take a look-see. Ted Davies is a retired organic chemist from Vancouver, British Col- umbia who has worked in food and drugs, fisheries and oceanography on every continent. He is editor of the Vancouver and District Shell Club newsletter, ‘‘Shellnews from Vancouver.”’ References: L. St. G. Byne. 1899. The Corrosion of Shells in Cabinets. Journal of Conchology. V.9, pp. 172-178, 253-254. Norman H. Tennent and Thomas Baird. 1984. The Deterioration of Mollusca Collections: Identification of Shell Efflorescence. Studies in Conservation V. 30 (1985), pp. 73-85. Morum uchiyamai Kuroda & Habe in Habe, 1961. ADDENDUM TO ‘A PICTORIAL REVIEW OF THE GENUS MORUM”’ by Charles Glass & Robert Foster Morum uchiyamai Kuroda & Habe in Habe, 1961 In the December, 1986 issue we published ‘‘A Pictorial Review of the Genus Morum’’ (COA) Bulletin, Vol. 14: 4, pp. 67-69, with 37 figures). Subsequently we were fortunate to obtain a specimen of an additional species, supposedly not that uncommon but nearly impossible to obtain, though that seems contradictory. The species is Morum uchiyamai Kuroda & Habe in Habe, 1961. Our specimen (AbS 87-022) was trawled in 600 feet by coral boats, supposedly off Kaohsiung, Taiwan; it is 53.5mm long; the shield is thick and white. VOLUME 15:2 FOSSILS AT THE SHOWS Bill Boger, Bet Hamilton and Jean Highsmith all won major awards with their fossil entries at Spring shell shows. Each had a bit to say on the subject. Trigonostoma druidi, a pen and ink drawing by John Timmer- man. CELEBRATE THE FOSSIL by Jean Highsmith High noon! Temperature is 115° on the pit floor. Wet and ecstatic, I ease the encrusted Trigonostoma druidi (Olsson & Petit, 1964) from its ancient resting place. Surely a celebration moment for a novice fossil shell collector! Celebration began for me months before on a crisp November day in 1985 when COA members Pete and Virginia Lee of Fort Myers, Florida took me on my first fossil shelling trip to the Newburn/APAC pit near Sarasota. Months and several sites later, after some 700 collecting hours and as many again for clean- ing, identifying and cataloging, I realized I had just opened the door to a world of beauty and mystery. I was to learn that fossils are anything of an organic origin which has been preserved by natural causes in the earth’s crust prior to recent geologic times — present to 11,000 years ago. My little druidi came out of the Pinecrest Beds laid down during the Pliocene Epoch, 1.8 million to 5 million B.P. (Before Present). In 1970-72 corals from some of the Pinecrest Beds were dated at 3.7 million years B.P. using the helium-uranium method. Ancient? Certainly! But geologic infants when compared to an age of over 400 million years B.P. for the oldest known gastropods. In southwest Florida, recent Trigonostoma, a genus of Cancellariidae, is probably represented by only one species, an uncommon one, Trigonostoma tenerum (Philippi, 1848). Five or more fossil forms are found at the Newburn/APAC Pit. While they are not exactly abundant, most collectors have good specimens. Where did all our 7rigs go and why? That is only one of my mysteries. For me, these pristine fossil shells have provided a rich and rewarding study. My small two year collection reflects only some 200 species from 60 families, but for me it is both a beginning and a celebration of the past. ECPHORA by Bet Hamilton On one of my first trips to the fossil pit, my friend Iva Thomp- son stepped on a shell. My beginner’s eyes were on the ground and I snatched up the fossil she had passed over. ‘“‘Iva, what’s this?’’ I asked. ‘‘Instant kill!’’ she replied, ‘‘Only the shell every- one comes here to find!’’ It was Ecphora (Latecphora) bradleyae Petuch, in manuscript, named for Mrs. Evelyn Bradley of the AMERICAN CONCHOLOGIST PAGE 1] Sarasota Shell Club. It was very large, measuring almost 5’’ from tip to tip, and in near-perfect condition. And it has since won me Shell of the Show in the Fossil Single Shell Division at Sanibel in 1984, and this year the Self-Collected Shell of the Show at St. Pete: And I have learned a little about the Ecphora, an extinct genus in the Muricacea superfamily, living from the Cretaceous to the Miocene, and, like modern murex, boring holes in the shells of their prey. Say named it, the first fossil to be named in the New World. The name Ecphora pertains to the zone or bed where the shell rests, usually sandy clay. Ecphora quadricostata is a geological index marker fossil from the Miocene period. FOSSILS AND FOSSILING by Bill Boger Florida has many beautiful fossil shells to offer the collector, both rare and common. Fossil shelling is coming alive as more and more shellers become interested. You see lots and lots of shellers climbing, sliding, raking, crawling, digging, kneeling in mud, sitting twenty feet up on mounds of shell and dirt, lying down using a magnifying glass, hauling large buckets and carry- ing armloads of large, heavy shells to put in a car. This brings us to the miniatures, which we find inside those large, heavy shells; I’ve found microscopic varieties as interesting as the larger shells. And, believe me, there are a lot of the little ones. Each time we wash out a big shell, we find dozens of tiny ones in the dirt. So we carefully wash the large specimens over a screen. We have two metal sawhorses, 40 inches high and 68 inches long. On these we put two large window screens, screen to screen, over corrugated sheet iron to carry the weight of large shells — a big Pleuroploca gigantea or a Mercenaria campechiensis fossil can hold a lot of dirt. With a small nozzle on the water hose we squirt the sand and miniatures out on the screen. Then we pick up the little treasurers with very light tweezers which I make from the tops of aluminum coffee cans or nut cans with a peel-off top. These will hold the tiny delicate specimens without pressure and avoid breaking them. We find these fossils almost everywhere in Florida, wherever excavators have made them accessible. During the years that the state was building roads, cities and dikes all over the place, many excellent collecting spots turned up. Some are still available and some have vanished. During the 1930’s when the Corps of Engineers built levees around Lake Okeechobee, collectors found many nice fossils. In the 1960’s a dragline widened the Caloosahatchee River and we found lovely things at Ortona Lock. The Belle Glade Rock Pit was a mine of unusually interesting finds; under water today, it was a sort of missing link between the Caloosahatchee and Fort Thompson formations. My wife Doris and I were first introduced to the thrill of picking up fossil Junonias and the gorgeous little Typhis floridanus along the Kissimmee River when it was dredged during the 1960’s. Nowadays, we shell mostly at the Newburn Pit near Sarasota, or at the Desoto Pit near Arcadia. Fossil collecting has a few advantages over recent shells. Fossils never smell, even when left uncleaned for weeks. And you can take lots of specimens without feeling greedy, for after all, they have already been dead for several million years. In the end, they will just be crushed to make roads. Fossils may not have the color that recent specimens do, but some of them still retain some gloss and color after all those years. And many have exquisite sculptur- ing, with frills and ruffles intact, in spite of time and bulldozers. Once you have collected them, fossils need to be identified. This is not easy — it takes a good 30X microscope to see the pat- terns and identifying points, especially on the miniatures, as well as a lot of time and patience. But it is worth all the effort when you win an award. AMERICAN CONCHOLOGIST VOLUME 15:2 Photos by Don Young Going, GOING, GONE! Marty Gill gets top dollar for another shell while associate Sol Weiss watches for last minute bidders. DID WE MEET YOU IN ST. LOUIS? Alan Gettleman, blowing a Triton’s Trumpet, convened the 15th Anniversary Convention at the Days Inn at the Arch, St. Louis, on Tuesday, June 23. Rick Vogel, bedecked with a Cypraea aurantium necklace, gave the invocation. Greater St. Louis Shell Club President Frank Frumar welcomed many of the 165 registrants from 20 states and Panama and the convention was underway. Tuesday’s programs were ‘‘Colors and Shapes of Shells’’ by George Karleskint; ‘‘Shelling in Indonesia and Malaysia,’’ by Richard Forbush; and ‘‘Tumult in the Rivers — The Story of the Freshwater Pearl Button Industry,’’ by Dr. Gregg Bogosian. President Richard Goldberg gave a short presentation on ‘‘COA Sartorial Splendor,’’ — slides of former COA convention attendees sporting varied shell fashions. A get-acquainted reception culminated in a spectacular hors d’oeuvres buffet. County Executive Gene McNary proclaimed ““COA Week’”’ in St. Louis County, and the GSLSC presented a Conus gloriamaris to Executive Director Dwight Crandall of the St. Louis Science Center. Walter Sage, COA Treasurer. Mary Ellen Akers, COA Secretary. A continental breakfast three mornings enabled attendees to avoid the usual breakfast hassle. Wednesday’s programs were ‘Shelling in Palau, Micronesia,’’ by Alta Van Landingham; “‘Operculums and Apertures,’’ by Stanley and Bobbie Phillips; a quick review of ‘‘COA — 1986 — Ft. Lauderdale,’’ by Ben and Josy Wiener; ‘‘Hosting a COA Convention,’? COA’s own new tape and slide program put together by Richie Goldberg and Don Young, and available to shell clubs and interested groups; ‘‘Land- shelling in Jamaica,’’ by Richie Goldberg; ‘‘Shelling in New Zealand,’’ by Al Chadwick; ‘‘Around the World in 80 Dives,”’ by Twila Bratcher; and ‘‘My, What Big Teeth You Have, or Radula Rhapsody,’’ by Bob Lipe. A luncheon at Hannegans in honor of the COA’s two-year-old Club Liasion Program provided an opportunity for Club Repre- sentatives from 22 Clubs to meet and offer suggestions on how COA and the clubs might assist one another. At the famed COA Auction Wednesday evening, Marty Gill, auctioneer extraordinaire, urged sales to an all-time high. Generous contributions of rare and common shells, fossils, art fabric and books endowed the auction and every session with an extra dash of excitement. The following donors of auction items Alan Gettleman presenting Myrna Golden a door prize. Hank Foglino and toga. and doorprizes deserve the gratitude of all COA members for making this one of the most successful COA conventions ever: R. Tucker & Cecelia Abbott John Baker Yvonne Bequet Billee D. Brown Carfel Shell Export Royce Hubert George Karleskint, Jr. Kathy Krattli McGraw-Hill Book Co. Naturegraph Publishers Phillip Clover Ed & Gayle Nieburger C. & E. Coucom LaVern & Al Niere Donald Dan W. G. Paddison Fernando Dayrit Mary Palmer Al & Bev Deynzer Olive Peel Mathilde Duffy Dov Peled E. P. Dutton Publishers Dennis & Priscilla Dworak Pretty Penny Press Leslie & Kay Easland C. E. & Mique Pinkerton Amy Edwards Bev Rader Muriel Enberg Mervin Roberts Alan Gettleman Carl Sahlberg Ethel & Jake Gettleman Tom Shepherd Marty Gill Dieter Schierenberg Richard Goldberg Sue Stephens Jack and Myrna Golden Charles E. Tuttle Publishing Co. Golden Press Publishers Doris Underwood Greater St. Louis Shell Club University of Hawaii Press Ed & Jackie Hanley Alta Van Landingham Charles & Vi Hertweck Vicky Wall Sue Hobbs & Phil Dietz Donald J. Young L.G. Hodder Mae Peterson VOLUME 15:2 Thursday, Don Pisor presented ‘‘Australia and South Pacific Shelling.’’ Hank Foglino spoke on ‘‘Oceanography,’’ Homer Rhode gave a presentation on ‘‘Shelling and Dredging, Montijo, Panama,’’ and Phil Clover made a few comments about recent shell publications. That afternoon, while COA Board members were closeted in their third meeting of the convention, Ellie and Lee Baris of St. Louis conducted a walking tour of the riverfront, the Gateway Arch, and the Museum of Westward Expansion. Thursday evening, a dinner cruise on the ‘‘Mighty Mississip’’ aboard the ‘‘Huck Finn,’’ complete with at three piece Dixieland jazz band, prime rib dinner and a distinctive concoction labelled ‘‘Mississippi Mud”’ entertained COA members. Friday’s programs featured presentation on ‘‘Ozark Basin Mollusca’ by Alan Buchanan, ‘‘American Naiad Mollusca’’ by Dr. David Stansbery, and ‘‘Those Variable Terebras’’ by Twila Bratcher. LaVern Niere presented a brief history of the COA with a tribute to all its presidents, six of whom were present: Bill Bled- soe (1976-77), Wayne Stevens (1981-82), Richard Jones (1982-83), Dick Forbush (1983-85), Anne Joffe (1985-86) and Richie Gold- berg (1986-87). The St. Louis group topped off the morning with a 15th Anniversary cake and punch. The Annual Business meeting lasted a mere 40 minutes, time enough for President Richie Goldberg to elicit the following: The Long Island Shell Club is nearing publication of its COA-assisted monograph on local mollusks; COA grant recipient Rudiger Bieler anticipates publication of his monograph on Architec- tonicidae; the computerization of the Bulletin and COA member- ship records is well underway; the COA Bulletin will undergo a name change — American Conchologist— and an editorial advisory board has been appointed; COA Grand Trophy rules have been standardized; and the Southwest Florida Con- chological Society will host the 1988 COA Convention at the Sheraton Harbor Place in Fort Myers, July 11-15. » COA President Richard Goldberg and R. Tucker Abbott. Dr. Alan Solem, COA Banquet speaker. COA will make the following grants this year: $800 to Dr. Roger Hanlon to assist in publishing costs for his research on cephalopods; $500 to Dr. Charles Bowen for purchase of an elec- trophoresis unit for his continuing study of the Pacific Haliotidae; and an amount not to exceed $500 to Lindsey T. Groves toward his Master’s thesis expenses on Southern Califor- nian molluscan paleontology. Mary Ruth Foglino, Chair of the Nominating Committee, presented the following slate of officers for 1987-88: President — Donald J. Young; Vice-President — Alan Gettleman; Treasurer — Walter E. Sage, III; and Secretary — Mary Ellen Akers. The officers were elected by acclamation. The Dealers’ Bourse got underway by mid-afternoon, ran until 11 p.m. and continued on Saturday morning. Twenty-three dealers transported their inventories to St. Louis to the conven- tioneers’ delight. AMERICAN CONCHOLOGIST PAGE 13 Stan Phillips examining specimens at COA Dealers’ Bourse. After a social hour, the final fling of the Convention, the 1987 COA Banquet, got underway to the strains of Don McCleary’s piano. Newly-elected president Don Young gave a plaque of ap- preciation and a splendid clock to Richie Goldberg, representing COA’s gratitude for his dedicated service as president. Then ‘*Professor’’ Sonny Williams performed ‘‘shell games’’ and other feats of legerdemain, followed by Richie Goldberg’s interview with the ‘‘2000-Year-Old-Sheller’’ (Hank Foglino in a braided wig and a sexy toga). The evening and the 1987 Convention culminated in the slide presentation of the featured speaker, Dr. Alan Solem of the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago. He spoke of ‘‘The Challenge of the Land,”’ illustrated with slides of his recent trip to the arid Australian outback. So ended the 15th Anniversary Convention of the COA. A standing ovation was given to Co-Chairs LaVern Niere and Alan Gettleman and their dedicated Greater St. Louis Shell Club crew. Their unbounded energy, gracious hospitality, and full year’s efforts made COA ’87 a truly memorable convention. Thank you, GSLSC! President Don Young and outgoing President Richie Goldberg. LaVern Niere presenting hus- band Al Niere his Cypraea aurantium raffle prize. PAGE 14 COA TROPHY WINNERS Southwest Florida Shell Show, Ft. Myers, FL, Jan. 16-18 WINNERS: Mary and Bart Zanarini TITLE OF DISPLAY: Family Muricidae Mary and Bart exhibited 18 cases of Murex to win the COA Grand Trophy at Fort Myers this year. The Zanarinis are long- time members of the Southwest Florida Shell Club, and Bart is a past president. They have previously won the COA Grand Trophy for a Cypraea exhibit. Astronaut Trail Shell Show, Melbourne, FL, Jan. 22-25 WINNER: Alfredo E. Romeu, M.D. TITLE OF DISPLAY: Tree and Land Snails of the World The exhibit consisted of 20 cases, extending 50 feet, of world- wide land snails, including an extensive collection of Polymita and Liguus from Cuba. Dr. Romeu, of Jacksonville, Florida, started collecting land snails in his native Cuba as a child. He and his wife and sons escaped from Cuba in the late 1960’s. Some years later, his collection was smuggled out of the country. AMERICAN CONCHOLOGIST VOLUME 15:2 ® Greater Miami Shell Show, Miami, FL, Jan. 30-Feb. 1 WINNER: David Green TITLE OF DISPLAY: Seashells of the World Consisting of 20 cases spanning 40 feet, this exhibit includes representatives from many molluscan families, and discussion of habitats, anatomy and behavior of the animals. Prior to winning the COA Grand Trophy, Dave’s exhibit had also won the DuPont Trophy. Dave is president of the Central Florida Shell Club. St. Petersburg Shell Show, St. Petersburg, FL, Feb. 14-15 WINNER: Rick Gibson TITLE OF DISPLAY: Volutes in Depth Rick Gibson’s winning exhibit featured his specialty, the family Volutidae, arranged geographically. A tropical fish dealer from Tampa whose worldwide shell collection now numbers over 4,000 species, he has travelled all over the world to enrich his collection. Happy Anniversary, Sanibel Shell Fair! March 5-8, 1987 was the Golden Anniversary or Diamond Anniversary of the Sanibel Shell Fair, depending upon how you count. Sanibel and Captiva have been famous for shells since the 16th century. By the early 1900’s it had become the custom for guests at the islands’ two hotels to end the winter season by displaying their shells in competition for a blue ribbon. The com- petition grew in size, organization and reputation, until it became the internationally famed ‘‘Tiffany of Shell Shows’’ we know to- day. We wish you many more, Sanibel! VOLUME 15:2 Sarasota Shell Show, Sarasota, FL, Feb. 20-22 WINNERS: Kay and Les Easland TITLE OF DISPLAY: Bivalves of the World Kay and Les Easland won the COA Grand Trophy and the Most Beautiful Display Award for their exhibit of the world’s bivalves. Word has it that collecting bivalves is the new trend. Congratulations, Kay and Les! Fiftieth Anniversary Sanibel Shell Fair, March 5-8 WINNER: Roberta Cranmer TITLE OF DISPLAY: Molluscan Treasures from the World’s Oceans. Roberta’s beautiful exhibit contained six cases of rare shells taxonomically arranged, with emphasis on geographical distribu- tion. Roberta lives in Louisville, Kentucky, where she belongs to the Louisville Conchological Society. A shell collector since 1970, her major interests are the Muricidae, Conidae, Cypraeidae and Pectinidae. Her exhibit featured a pecten named for her, Somalipecten cranmerorum Waller, 1986. Marco Island Shell Show, Marco Island, FL, March 10-12 WINNER: Jean Highsmith TITLE OF DISPLAY: Fossil Shells from Two Southwest Florida Sites Jean’s exhibit contained nine cases of molluscan fossils from the APAC (Newburn) and Desoto Pits. The exhibit answered common questions about fossils and showed photos of the sites and of fossil mollusks in situ. Jean lives on Sanibel Island, where she is educational chairperson for the Sanibel Shell Club. See her article on fossil collecting elsewhere in this issue. AMERICAN CONCHOLOGIST PAGE 15 Display backboard from Jean Highsmith’s winning fossil exhibit. Georgia Shell Show, Atlanta, Georgia, March 25-27 WINNER: Bunny Fulton TITLE OF DISPLAY: Shell Potpourri Bunny’s prizewinning educational exhibit contained 24 feet of facts about mollusks, from fossils to religious symbols, mythology, pearls and pearl buttons, cones and cone poison, shell color and patterns, state shells, shells that inspired man, were used by man and transformed by man. A fossil from her exhibit, Trigonostoma hoerlei Olsson, won self-collected shell of the show. PARDON OUR MISTAKES: Walter Sage’s ‘‘Notes on Nomenclature and Labeling’’ last issue was beset by gremlins. A ‘‘correct’’ example slipped through incorrectly: Scaphella (Volutiformis) aguayoi (Clench, 1940) somehow had its underlining extended to the parentheses around Volutiformis. Parentheses are never underlined. Also, Walter points out, ‘‘In the fourth paragraph, at the end of line 11, I said ‘All scientific names should be underlined.’ This is obviously in- correct. The line should read: ‘All genus, subgenus, species, subspecies and forma names should be underlined — names of higher taxa, i.e., family, are not underlined.’ ”’ In Betty and Bob Lipe’s ad for The Shell Store, we incorrectly stated that their $1.00 computer print-out of shells listed 100 species. The list contains over 800 species! Sorry, Lipes! PAGE 16 AMERICAN CONCHOLOGIST SHELLS IN PRINT by Richard L. Goldberg “LIVING TEREBRAS OF THE WORLD — A Monograph of the Recent Terebridae of the World’’ by Twila Bratcher and Walter Cernohorsky, 1987 [published by American Malacologists, Inc., P.O. Box 1192, Burlington, MA, 01803 — $54.50]. 240 pp., 68 black & white and 6 color plates. Major monographs on the ‘‘popular’’ families of marine mollusks are well represented in conchological libraries, providing easy references for curating our collections. It is not often though that monographs dealing with less popular families are published. With the recent release of Living Terebras, both the malacological and conchological world can add an important, comprehensive work to their libraries. The authors spent twenty years compiling information and examining the type materials. They treat 268 species as valid and illustrate the type specimen of each, along with additional illustrations showing close-ups and variations to facilitate identification. The body of the work contains a complete introduction to the family, followed by the systematic treatment of species. Each species is listed with complete synonymies, a description, type locality, distribution, location and measurements of the type, and discussion. The authors divide the family into four genera and one subgenus. They write that the Terebra show a great deal of variability, and it is refreshing to note that no new species have been described. The layout of this monograph is one of the best I have encountered — each species has a number which is cross- referenced to the black & white plates and the index. On all counts — quality of the content, and printing — this monograph stands out as one of the most important publications of the decade, and will be the standard by which all other malaco- logical publications should be judged. I strongly suggest Living Terebras become a part of every conchological library. BOARD TALK From Vice President DONALD YOUNG: We are pleased to list the latest shell clubs to select a COA Local Club Represen- tative to act as liaison between their clubs and the COA, bringing the total to 34 participating clubs: Conchological Club of Southern California Twila Bratcher Greater St. Louis Shell Club Jacob Gettleman San Diego Shell Club Billee D. Brown Northern California Malacozoological Club Dr. George Metz The following clubs have chosen successor representatives: Astronaut Trail Shell Club John Baker Sanibel - Captiva Shell Club Albert Bridell Sarasota Shell Club Richard Forbush Each representative receives information to keep his club up to date on all COA activities and is urged to send ideas and sugges- tions on how the COA might best serve his club to the COA vice president. He should also send news of his club’s activities to the editor of the COA Bulletin. We believe this two-way communica- tion will be mutually beneficial in the birth and development of new ideas and the dissemination of information. We hope that all COA member clubs will ‘‘come out of your shell’? and take advantage of these benefits. Just have your club president write to the COA vice president designating your club representative, his address and phone number. (He should be a current COA member.) Further inquiries may be made to Donald Young, 11690 Parkview Lane, Seminole, FL 33542. From Treasurer WALTER SAGE: We remind you that the COA membership year is the calendar year, with all dues payable January 1 each year. Members who joined at any time during 1986 were enrolled for 1986 and received four Bulletin issues. VOLUME 15:2 It has been COA policy that the Bulletin be mailed only to paid members. Dues renewal notices were sent out with the December 1986 Bulletin. For a variety of reasons, a substantial number of members had not sent in their dues payments before the mailing date for the March 1987 Bulletin — these members did not receive the March Bulletin with information on the June Convention in St. Louis — an inconvenience for them. A special mailing of dues reminder notices and June Convention information had to be sent to nearly 300 members — a lengthy and expensive job for your officers. Furthermore, March issue Bulletins to late renewals missed the inexpensive bulk mailing and had to be mailed first class at the cost of $.73 each. To give members advance notice that dues are payable, we plan to send out 1988 dues notices with the September 1987 Bulletin, and a reminder notice in the December issue. We urge all members to pay their 1988 dues promptly and avoid inconvenience to themselves, as well as extra work and expense for the COA organization. If you have a name or address change in 1987, please notify COA so we can update our records and see that you receive all mailings and publications promptly. New memberships (with checks) and requests for information should be sent to Member- ship Chairmen Phyllis and Bernard Pipher; membership renewals should be sent to the Treasurer. From Shell Show Chairman DONALD DAN: 1987 Summer and Fall Shell Shows and Conventions Oregon Shell Show, Portland, Oregon, June 6-14. Contact Dr. Byron W. Travis, 4324 N.E. 47th Ave., Portland, Oregon 97218 (503:284-1365). Sixieme Salon International du Coquillage, Lausanne, Switzerland, June 20-21. Contact Dr. Ted W. Baer, CH-1602 La Croix, Switzerland. Western Society of Malacologists, 20th Annual Meeting, San Diego State University, California, June 21-25. Contact Carole M. Hertz, President, Dept. of Marine Invertebrates, San Diego Natural History Museum, P.O. Box 1390, San Diego, CA 92112 (619:232-3812 Ext. 228). Conchologists of America Annual Convention, St. Louis, Missouri, June 23-27. Contact Alan Gettleman, 4045 Central Lane, Granite City, IL 62040 (618:931-1312). American Malacological Union, 53rd Annual Meeting, Key West, Florida, July 19-23. Contact Paula M. Mikkelsen, Harbor Branch Oceanographic Inst., 5600 Old Dixie Highway, Ft. Pierce, FL 33450-9719. Jacksonville Shell Show, Jacksonville Beach, Florida, July 31- Aug. 2. Contact Allan B. Walker, 1036 Mantes Ave., Jackson- ville, FL 32205 (904:781-1553). Crown Point Shell Show, Merrillville, Indiana, September 19-20. Contact Judy Brooks, 12109 Kingfisher Road, Crown Point, IN 46307 (219:663-2700). Guam International Shell Fair, Agana, Guam, Sept. 26-27. Contact Guam Shell Club, P.O. Box 7867, Tamuning, Guam 96911. Panama City Shell Show, Panama City, Florida, Oct. 2-4. Contact Robert C. Granda, 925 Rosemont Drive, Panama City, FL 32405 (904:769-2876). North Carolina Shell Show, Wilmington, North Carolina, Oct. 23-25. Contact Dean Weber, 510 Baytree Road, Wilmington, NC 28403 (919:799-3125). British Shell Show, London, England, Oct. 31. Contact Geoff Cox, 7 King John’s Road, N. Warmborough, Odiham, Hants., RG25 1EE England. Attention: Researchers and Shell Collectors. Announcing MALACOLOGY DATA NET, a ‘‘new and unique journal devoted to the prompt dissemination of scholarly, innovative and timely information in conchology and malacology.’’ Six numbers a year, $14.50 per year. Arthur H. Clarke, Editor. Write ECOSEARCH, Inc., 325 Bayview, Portland, TX 78374. VOLUME 15:2 LETTER TO A BEGINNER — WITH APOLOGIES Dr. Abbott wrote this letter recently to an amateur who had asked for information on “‘how to get started in shell collecting. ’’ We pass it along for the benefit of other beginners. Dear Beginning Sheller: I fear you are on the verge of becoming ‘‘shell-shocked.’’ This is an ailment that struck me early in life, and one that has afflicted people whom you and I have heard of but never met — Thomas Jefferson, Edgar Allen Poe, Louis Agassiz at Harvard, the present Emperor of Japan, doctors, lawyers and thieves. It’s a grand occupation enjoyed by many friendly and sympathetic peo- ple who love to collect shells, who appreciate the beauties of nature, and who, to a man, are fired with a desire to save our disappearing natural environment. May I suggest you get an overview picture of the hobby by reading my Kingdom of the Seashell. It’s not an award-winning novel, but it does, I hope, delve a little into the primary merits of conchology — the biology of mollusks, shells in art and history, mollusks in cuisine and medicine, how to study shells and where to collect. Your curiosity and exploratory instincts should get you collect- ing in your own back yard or nearby seashore. At that point, I recommend Seashells of North America, a Golden Field Guide to 850 common marine species with plenty of college-level biology, descriptions of living animals, and some data on geographical distributions and geological histories. It will keep your growing collection organized, in hand, and a source of useful information. Later, if you wish, you can graduate to American Seashells. If you need a catalog in which to enter your finds, and wish to know the relative values of your shells, as well as to have a complete listing of most of the collectible families, I suggest you consider getting the Standard Catalog of Shells. Now as to your armchair collecting (that irresistible shortcut to acquiring exotic shells) — you’ll want to arm yourself with the Compendium of Seashells, a book that the famous English author, Peter Dance, and I put out a couple of years ago. It LEONARD C. HILL 6713 S.W. 113th Place Miami, Florida 33173 (305) 271-0650 QUALITY WORLD WIDE SHELLS FREE LISTS! Florida-Caribbean Specialists BUY - SELL - EXCHANGE The best in Cones, Murex, Miters, Olives & Cypraea SPECIMEN SHELLS SALES * BUY »* SELL * TRADE ¢ Worldwide Specimen Shells e Free Price List with Size & Grade * Satisfaction Guaranteed or Money Refunded ¢ Dedicated to Service, Integrity and Reliability 1094 Calle Empinado ¢ Novato, California 94947 Dan Spelling © (415) 382-1126 AMERICAN CONCHOLOGIST PAGE 17 illustrates most of the species that dealers sell and that foreign conchologists love to exchange. It can be your ‘‘wish book”’ for a while, but do note that the bibliography is a key to your future education in conchology. I’m glad you found a copy of my Collectible Shells. It was fun collecting most of the shells illustrated in the book. I enjoyed the challenge of the photography, writing the text, designing the book, publishing it and trying to market it. That’s something you also can do with some aspect of conchology that appeals to you. Why not join the Conchologists of America, a non-profit band of shell enthusiasts who help each other, put out an informative Bulletin, and have lively annual meetings around the country? There are local shell clubs in most parts of the country. Join one, or even start one. You may wonder why I’ve taken so much time to answer your letter, even though I am 300 years behind in my work and writings. It’s because I wrote a letter similar to yours about fifty years ago to a Harvard shell professor, Dr. William J. Clench. He patiently answered me in detail and started me on the right track. It’s my turn to pass on his kindness. I hope you’ll have the chance to take your turn. And my apologies for plugging my books! Cordially yours, R. Tucker Abbott : WORLDWIDE 1SPECIMEN SHELLS Your ONE STOP Marine & Land Shell Connection Wide Variety of Select Quality Specimens - g ; “Knowledgeable & Courteous Service” Write for Free Illustrated List Richard Goldberg / Worldwide Specimen Shells. ' y P.O. Box 137, Fresh Meadows, N.Y., 11365, U.S.A. (718) 357-6467 THE SHELL STORE 440 - 75th Avenue St. Petersburg Beach, FL 33706 Between Blind Pass Road and Bulf Boulevard Phone 360-0586 SHELLS — OUR BUSINESS AND OUR PLEASURE ROBERT LIPE Conus spurius atlanticus BER YyEIPE Send $1.00 (Applied to your first order) and receive a COMPUTER PRINTOUT OF OVER 800 LOTS OF SPECIMEN SHELLS. (Most families represented.) Advertising in the Bulletin is presented as a service to our membership, but does not automatically imply Bulletin endorsement of the advertisers. Advertising space is available at the rate of $75.00 for a half page; yearly rate (4X): $275.00; quarter page: $50.00; yearly rate: $175.00; eighth page: $35.00; yearly rate: $115.00; minimum ad (1’’): $20.00; yearly rate: $75.00. Camera-ready copy only will be accepted at this rate. (except for the 1’’ minimum size). There will be an additional charge for halftones and non- camera ready copy. Copy may be changed for any issue. Deadlines are month prior to publication months (ie., by January 3st for the March Bulletin, etc.) Send advertising copy and fees to The Editor, 1222 Holsworth Lane, Louisville, KY 40222. PAGE 18 AMERICAN CONCHOLOGIST Finally! A complete guide to Olives. ATLAS OF THE LIVING OLIVE SHELLS OF THE WORLD by E. J. Petuch and D. M. Sargent All described species, subspecies and color forms (over 300) are illustrated in full color. Zoogeographic review with 32 maps showing species distributions worldwide for accurate identification. New systematics recognizing 19 subgeneric groupings—10 described for the first time! A valuable tool for shell professionals and amateurs. Order yours today, at the special introductory price of only US$68.50 plus $2.50 postage and handling. Coastal Education & Research Foundation [CERF] Post Office Box 8068 Charlottesville, VA 22906 Dealer inquiries welcome. VOLUME 15:2 DOV PELED First Source and Specialist for Red Sea Shells Very large choice, over 1300 specimens ap. _ World wide specimens. Exchange offers welcome. New Price List on request. 1, Zvolon St., K. Tivon, 36000 ISRAEL BRANDYBERRY MUSEUM 417 West Bainbridge Street Elizabethtown, PA 17022 U.S.A. 717-367-8896 Dealer in Worldwide Specimen Shells e Marine, Land, ¢ Personalized Freshwater Service e Over 150 Families e Highest Quality ¢ Over 6,000 Species e Best Price Many Species Seldom Offered by Other Dealers BUY — SHELL — TRADE Write NOW for FREE price list! 1575 NORTH 118th STREET WAUWATOSA, WI 53226 U.S.A. Dealer in Fine and Rare Specimen Shells of Superior Quality The very best shells, at the very best prices WRITE FOR FREE PRICE LIST SHELLS BOUGHT, SOLD AND TRADED LARGEST MAIL ORDER SEASHELL DEALER IN THE U.S.A. VOLUME 15:2 AMERICAN CONCHOLOGIST PAGE 19 SHELL CLUB TOURS Alta Van Landingham P.O. Box 542, Hampstead, NC 28443 U.S.A. (919) 686-7537 Let’s Go Shelling!! TONGA AND FIJI Sept. 1987 $2,950 includes airfare from L.A. and back, hotels, meals, boat trips, & sightseeing. PALAU, MICRONESIA Jan. 1988 $3,150 includes airfare from L.A. and back, hotels, 2 meals a day, boat trips, sightseeing, & hundreds of shells! KENYA AND THE SEYCHELLES Nov. 1987 $3,250 includes airfare from N.Y. and back, transportation between contries, hotels, meals, sightseeing & shelling EGYPT AND THE RED SEA May, 1988 $2,900 includes airfare from N.Y. and back, delux hotels, meals, boat trips, sightseeing, and more shells than you will want to bring home! My trips are geared for SHELLING! In any manner you choose, beach walking, | snorkeling, diving — it is all available. Prices are approximate at this time, although | 2 ee ee SHELLS * REPUBLIC of MALDIVES | STAMPS A Beautiful Addition... to your Shell Collection! 3L REPUBLIC of MALDIVES ae. a ak from AITUTAKI to ZAMBIA CONUS to MUREX We’re able to fill your needs - send us your want list! Price list available on request See You at COA Jack and Myrna Golden * GOLDEN PHILATELICS x Post Office Box 484, Cedarhurst, NY 11516 (516) 791-1804 COA do not expect much change. Trips are limited to 15 people, most of these shellers coming from the many shell clubs around the country. Please write for full details. a i wa IT'S EASY TO SAY CREPIDULA ! A Phonetic Guide (kreh PID yu luh) é # # # oe y# to Pronunciation of the # Scientific Names of SEA SHELLS # and a Glossary of Terms # Frequently Used in Malacology # by #é JEAN M. CATE AND SELMA RASKIN $19.95 each Postage & Handling: Surface mail add $1.50 each P. O. Box 3890 Air Mail or Foreign add $4.50 ea. Santa Monica, CA 90403 4 California orders add 6 % Fa CP e ee ee ee eee a a eee ee eee ee eee eee Pretty Penny Press, Inc. jE a RRR RRRRAR RY PHILLIP W. CLOVER Dealer in World Wide Sea Shells since 1960 Specializing ww in Latiaxis, Murex, Morums, Marginella Mitra, Conus, Cypraea, Voluta, Cancellaria, Typhis, Trophons, and out of print Sea Shell Books. Phone # 707-996-6960 Write for Free Price Lists. P.O. Box 83 - Glen Ellen - Calif. 95442 PAGE 20 AMERICAN CONCHOLOGIST VOLUME 15:2 Displays at Most Shell Shows Donald Dan Selected Specimen Shells 2620 Lou Anne Court W. Friendship, MD 21794 by appointment - (301) 489-7353 Inquiries welcome - no list EY SHELLS IN ART e SHELL STATIONERY: Letterheads, Envelopes, Aerograms, Name cards SAILOR’S VALENTINES AND WOOD FRAMES SHELL ANIMAL DESIGNS WATER COLOR SHELL PICTURES HERALDRY DESIGNS WITH SHELLS CLUB BADGES WITH SHELL DESIGNS OTHER SHELL-RELATED ART Write for a quotation on your particular interest to: T. C. LAN P.O. BOX 34-35, TAIPEI, TAIWAN ORDER BY MAIL: P.O. box 68 Shalimar, Florida USA. 32579 Phone: (904) 244-5646 “Top Rated in Recently Published “Guide” To U.S. Mail Order Shell Dealers *Specializing in Personalized Service “Offering High Quality Shells at Reasonable Prices (the word “rare” need not mean :«‘expensive”!) *Marine Land and Fresh Water Fossils “Buy Sell Trade *Free Monthly Price List We ane not the oldest nor the largest, but we drive to be She Bet / PRONOUNCING THE SCIENTIFIC NAMES OF year di GOLDEN’ A GUIDE TO FIELD IDENTIFICATION SAY IT RIGHT! HOW TO PRONOUNCE THE SCIENTIFIC NAMES OF SEASHELLS OF NORTH AMERICA R. Tucker Abbott 35 minutes in stero tape of the custom- ah way BUC R. Tucker Abbott and ee other professional mollusk experts pro- nounce 1,250 Latin names of seashells ORDER NOW: from United States and Canada, as well as many technical and anatomical $7.90 terms, family names, and foreign scien- : tific authors. Practice the pronuncia- tions used by malacologists at Har- vard, the Smithsonian Institution and other leading museum centers. Based on the 1986 revised edition of SEASHELLS OF NORTH AMERICA published by Golden Press. plus $2.10 mailing AMERICAN MALACOLOGISTS P.O. Box 1192 Burlington, Mass. 01803 U.S.A. men Deale Florida - or VISIT OUR SHOP “Shells N’ Things” 142 Miracle Strip Pkwy. Fr. Walron Beach, FL USA. 32548 Phone: (904) 244-5646 | ad 2) a — <4 a za = a = » a MN — Ns < = ee) 2 Q>é : Z 5 C8 Y= 7: <i Y: Se = ye S 2 ae VOL. 15, NO. 3 Advancing- Conchology. In 1972, a group of shell collectors saw the need for a national organization devoted to the interests of shell collectors — for amateur collectors interested in the beauty of shells, their scientific aspects and the collecting and preservation of mollusks. The membership includes novices, as well as advanced collectors, scientists and shell dealers from around the country and world. An annual convention is held each year in a dif- ferent part of the country. OFFICERS President: Donald J. Young 11690 Parkview Lane, Seminole, FL 33542 Vice-President: Alan Gettleman 4045 Central Lane, Granite City, IL 62040-3032 Treasurer: Walter E. Sage, III P.O. Box 8105, Saddle Brook, New Jersey 07662 Secretary: Mary Ellen Akers 1244 Edenville Ave., Clearwater, Florida 33546 Trophy Chairman: Donald Dan 2620 Lou Anne Court, W. Friendship, Maryland 21794 AMERICAN CONCHOLOGIST Editor: Lynn Scheu 1222 Holsworth Lane, Louisville, Kentucky 40222 Associate Editor: Margarette Perkins 2121 Dogoon Drive, Louisville, Kentucky 40223 Art Director: John Timmerman 79 Knickerbocker Drive, Belle Mead, NJ 08502 Advertising Manager: Walter Sage P.O. Box 8105, Saddle Brook, NJ 07662 EDITORIAL BOARD: R. Tucker Abbott Donald Dan Charles Glass The AMERICAN CONCHOLOGIST, an official publication of the Conchologists of America, Inc., is issued free to members. Opinions expressed in signed articles are opi- nions of the authors, and not necessarily those of Conchologists of America. It is published quarterly in March, June, September and December by Beechmont Press, Louisville, KY. Postmaster: send address changes to the Editor. Articles in the AMERICAN CONCHOLOGIST are not copyrighted; we welcome republication, with proper credit. Its editors solicit comment, letters and articles of interest to shell collectors, subject to editing. All correspondence should be addressed to the Editor. MEMBERSHIP Memberships run for the calendar year, January through December, Late member- ships shall be retroactive to January. INDIVIDUAL (per year) $10.00; FAMILY & CLUB (receiving one AMERICAN CONCHOLOGIST) $12.50; OVERSEAS (Air Mail Postage) $20.00. New menibers send check or money order to the MEMBERSHIP CHAIRPEOPLE Phyllis & Bernard Pipher, 1116 N Street, Tekamah, NE 68061. Renewals are sent to the TREASURER. Back issues are available from the Piphers @ $2.50 each. Richard Goldberg Walter Sage Cover: A brush and ink illustration by John Timmerman of Voluta musica Linné, 1758 and Voluta demarcoi Olsson, 1965 variants: (clockwise from upper right) V. musica from Puerto Rico, Martinique, Tobago; V. demarcoi from Nicaragua, V. kotorai (Petuch, 1981) from Nicaragua and V. morrisoni (Petuch, 1980) from Honduras. OOPS! We forgot to mention that Bev and Al Deynzer donated a Golden Cowrie, and that George Karleskint donated a gorgeous Pleurotomaria teramachii as raffle shells at the 1987 COA Conven- tion in St. Louis. And while we’re at it, we’d better make note that the Greater St. Louis Shell Club donated Lambis violacea, their club shell, as a special door prize. Our belated thanks to these generous-spirited COA members. RARE TROPHIES DEPARTMENT It would appear that COA member Dave Green, from the Cen- tral Florida Shell Club, received the only sinistral COA Trophy in existence! However, it was only our gremlin at work again, revers- ing the photographic plate. Where will he strike next? PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE I am honored and delighted to serve as your president. Believing in the objectives of the COA, and sharing in its many concerns and interests, I’m confident of finding real satisfaction through serving you . I look forward to joining all of you in our continuing efforts to further improve our collective devotion to advancing con- chology. Let’s go over the 800 membership hurdle! For several years, COA memberships have hovered at just under 800. Five years ago, when memberships were just over 600, the Bulletin editors set a goal of 1,000 readers. We should certainly be able to persuade at least a quarter of the 9000 plus U.S. Shell Club members that COA is for them. Instead our memberships are gradually declining. So we really have no choice. If we are to continue as an effective organization, we must increase our membership. Your officers and committee chairmen can help attain this goal. But the burden of recruitment still falls mainly on you, the individual members. The best member- ship recruitment is one-on-one contact between a COA member and a shelling friend. To make recruitment easier, your officers will: (A) Ask the COA Club Reps to explain the COA and its objective at their club meetings. (B) Expound the benefits of COA memberships to clubs which don’t belong to COA: often they are our contact with their own members. (C) Request shell clubs awarding COA trophies to man a COA publicity booth at their shell shows. (D) Ask COA dealers to actively participate in the membership drive through their business operation. Vice-president Alan Gettleman will coordinate these efforts. Publicity Chairman, Hank Foglino, will forward press releases about the membership drive to appropriate national and international publications. Inside this issue of the American Conchologist, you’ll find a COA membership application and the annual dues renewal notice. Please won’t you give the membership application to a friend? Few of us don’t know at least one person who would enjoy the benefits of the COA. Show that friend a current copy of our great magazine — it is our best salesman. And be sure to tell your friend that all new membership applications received between October 1 and December 31 will receive the Dec. 1987 issue free, as well as the 1988 membership/subscription. Secondly, the 1988 annual dues renewal notice: If you have not paid your annual 1988 dues to date, I invite you and urge you to do so without delay. Please note — the COA membership year is on an annual basis — Jan. 1 to Dec. 31. Your early dues payment, among other things, will help us to publish an up-to-date membership roster. Do it now! Give a gift or sign up a friend in the COA... and pay your 1988 annual dues today! My ultimate goal for COA this year is to significantly increase membership. I believe and hope you also believe that with everyone’s effort and cooperation, together we can meet that goal. Let’s utilize our collective devotion to advancing conchology and go over the 800 membership hurdle! Let’s do it! LET’S GO OVER THAT 800 MEMBERSHIP HURDLE! Shellingly, Don PROCEEDINGS OF THE MALACOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF LONDON and its continuation, the JOURNAL OF MOLLUSCAN STUDIES (England) — back issues available from American Malacologists, P.O. Box 1192, Burlington, MA 01803. VOLUME 15:3 SHELLING STORY: FINDING CARIBBEAN VOLUTES by Peggy Williams My first visit to Volute Country was to Roatan, Honduras, in 1976. I had no idea what was there or how to find it, and I found no volutes. On my second visit to the area I was given a volute, Voluta demarcoi Olsson, 1965 by a fisherman, but being strictly a self- collector at the time, I gave it to Betty Jean Pieck who was delighted. Next I went to Bonaire with Kirk Anders. At Lac Bay he in- structed the group to look in the sandy areas of the grass flat by fanning the sand and we’d find Voluta musica Linne, 1758. I snorkeled the whole bay, clear out to the fringing reef, fanning everywhere as I went, and found not a single volute. Back at the beach, I found Kirk having a soda and a rest. ‘‘Have you found any volutes?’’ I asked. ‘‘Only about 40,’’ was the reply. I asked where. Kirk put on his mask (no flippers), waded in up to his shins, said, “‘This looks like a good place,’’ fanned down about four inches to bedrock, and found four volutes! It’s all in knowing how, I guess! I did collect some then, and spent another happy hour learning how to fan the sand for shells. We also found Pyramidella dolabrata Linne, 1758, Tonna maculosa (Dillwyn, 1817), Epitonium sp. and Persicula spp. there. Photos by Peggy Williams Voluta musica rolling over a Pyramidella dolabrata — Tobago. On my next trip to Honduras, this time to Cayos Cochinos, I was prepared. On a shallow dive — about ten feet — I was able to fan up several volutes which I believe are V. demarcoi.* My partner and I also found them at depths of 40 and 50 feet, again by fan- ning. We discovered that the shallow volutes, in black sand, were gray in color, while the same species collected on coral reefs in white sand were pink to salmon. One of the main goals for Charlotte Lloyd and me on our trip to Tobago was to find Voluta musica. We had been told of hundreds of volutes there for the taking, especially at night and by scuba div- ing. Unfortunately the dive shop at our end of the island was closed for the holidays so we didn’t get to dive much. The first night there we entered the water at a likely-looking spot and searched for about an hour. Charlotte’s son Brian found one volute — and we found nothing else either! On the second night he again found one volute, and he also found one on a dive we made at 15 feet on the far end of the island of Tobago. Getting anxious, since we had little success even when following directions from several natives and my friend at home, we hired ““Mullet’’ to guide us one night to some volutes. Mullet was recom- mended by the clerk at the (semi-closed) dive shop. One night we drove to the area where his boat is moored and asked a fisherman *These now go under the name of Voluta sunderlandi Petuch, 1987. AMERICAN CONCHOLOGIST PAGE 3 there how to find him. Following complicated directions, we found Mullet’s home on a side dirt street, but he wasn’t home. We had been told to be careful with the neighbors, since he lived near his cousin with whom he didn’t get along; however, the neighbor was friendly and promised to tell Mullet to find us. As I turned the car Voluta sunderlandi Petuch, 1987 — Cayos Cochinos, Honduras. to head back, Charlotte yelled: a four inch land snail in the middle of the road! (We’d been looking for these snails, but that’s another story.) The neighbor lady, though bewildered that we should want such things as dead snails, helped us find a few more, and we returned to our hotel. Later that evening the manageress of our hotel came to tell us that Mullet was here. He proved to be a delightful fellow, in prime physical condition, and he really did know how to find volutes. We made arrangements for him to take us out one evening for a night snorkel and the following day to find the Chicoreus brevifrons (Lamarck, 1822) we were sure were on mangrove roots, though we’d looked for them there without success. At the appointed time we drove to where Mullet’s boat was an- chored. We had to use our lights to find his boat, but as we moved out onto the water the full moon rose and we could see nearly as well as in the daytime. Starting in a mangrove-lined bay, we each found a volute or two in dark sand among turtle grass. Then we moved to clean white sand between shore and the outer reef. As I explored trails (Bulla striata, Bruguiére, 1972) and swam slowly, Mullet brought me two hands full of volutes. I found one myself, then he brought me another handful! Finally, in frustra- tion, I made him swim next to me and show me when he found them. They were everywhere, crawling on the open white sand, probably hunting the bubble shells. Their pinkish shells and mottled bodies looked ghostly in the moonlight, but when I shone the light on them, the fully extended foot, proboscis and eyestalks were breathtakingly beautiful. I just watched for a while, then continued to collect. We stayed in the water about two hours in all. We also found several Pyramidella dolabrata — four in one clump, lots of bubbles and a few olives. After we left Mullet and returned to clean shells, we counted 65 we had found in that white sand in an hour! We chose the best and went back that same night to release the flawed shells in another sandy area. The shells from the mangrove bay were gray, while the sand-dwellers were pinkish. The next day, snorkeling a similar area off Mullet’s boat, I turned a rock to find a volute crawling away. I fanned the area and found two more, including a yellow one. PAGE 4 A couple of days later we shelled a rocky tidepool for chitons. We had met a fisherman, Louis, who was quite taken with us and offered to help us find ‘‘cockroaches,”’ as they call the large chiton species locally. As we turned rocks he brought us a lovely volute, and we were able to find several more among the black rocks. I ex- plained to him that they are called ‘‘Music Volutes’’ because of the markings on the shell, and that we were excited to find them because, although we have many of the same shells in Florida as in Tobago, we don’t have these so they are valuable to us. The tide pool specimens, coming from the Atlantic side of the island, had lower knobs on the shoulders and were colored dif- ferently than those we’d found in the Caribbean sand, so we really came home with three or four variations of the same species. ERIN PAE DET ORL Bra ie Conus adadia Cramlin 1791. aoe. ae: SVartety 0, cdo tamro-fasvtata Naytxendary, Ye PLI9ST Taken infishing neta, tn $-10 metere eS Vof. pater off Rameau, India, 1986. PAP TAMAS RUST eH ateeti ye poe sof E RUG NI ANS Sy RRS WE HAVE MET THE GREMLIN, AND IT IS US! by Walter Sage By now we should all be sensitized to the fact that when errors appear in our work that we can’t explain and/or don’t wish to admit to, we blame those errors on the Gremlin. It was my expe- rience in January, 1986 to observe the workings of the Gremlin and to capture the evidence of its existence on film. I was visiting friends who belong to the Astronaut Trail Shell Club, Melbourne, Florida, during the time of that club’s annual shell show that year. While attending the shell show, I was asked by Al Bergman, whose extensive and very fine cone col- lection has been entered in many shows, to critique his exhibit. It was then that I noticed the two cones shown in the photo. They happened to be specimens of Conus amadis Gmelin, 1791, a species commonly taken off India and Sri Lanka. But these were far from the ordinarily available C. amadis. they were malformed specimens, one with an abnormally extended spire, the other with a centrally compressed lip. But what especially attracted my attention was the label that accompanied the specimens — here was real evidence that our Gremlin actually exists! Note that the label states ‘‘Conus adadis Gremlin 1791.’’ Not only has our Gremlin had a hand in distorting two otherwise nice cone shells, it misspelled the name of the species, made a single underlining of both genus and species names, used italics in addition to underlining, and omitted the comma be- tween author and date. AND it signed its work, as well!’’ We realized that these labels had to have been prepared only shortly before the deadline for the show, and understood how close we had come to actually capturing the elusive Gremlin itself on film!! The moral of the story? Be sure to take all the time necessary to prepare your labels as accurately as possible — if you don’t, the Gremlin’s gonna git ya! My thanks to Al Bergman for sharing this situation and to Bill Boger for his skill with the camera. Without them, we would never have been able to share this tale with you. AMERICAN CONCHOLOGIST VOLUME 15:3 ACHATINA CALAMITY by Olive Peel I discovered that the land snail, Achatina immaculata, lives in a garden where I go to sing every Friday evening. So on every Friday I look around to see if I can find a nice big one, but alas, they hide away. Then one evening, after a ‘‘danger-humidity-day,’’ I went along and lo and behold, all over the lawn, Achatina immaculata were ly- ing, some full of eggs, some with heaps of yellow eggs lying next to them, all the snails either dead or dying. It was a tragic scene, I thought, almost like a mass suicide. I picked up about fifty, and what seemed strange to me was the fact that they were all lying out in the boiling hot sun. Maybe they were hoping to find a cool spot. When I arrived home, I put them in plastic bags in the microwave oven for half a minute, and then shook them out. What magnifi- cent hues of purple and blue. Since then, I see lots of them crawling around that garden, but enough is enough! I wonder if they are looking for the other members of their families! Olive Peel is a COA member from Durban, South Africa. Besides singing and collecting shells, she enjoys research and writing, especially on subjects connected with the ocean. NAPLES SHELL CLUB SURVIVED DEMISE RUMOR by Don Dan Rumors flew thick this Spring that the Naples Shell Club in Florida has been dissolved due to lack of people willing to assume leadership. A few members apparently refused to let this happen. Their efforts appear to be successful. Latest words from Bea Sweet, one of the ardent supporters of the club, indicates that James Erler has been made president of the club and their annual shell show again will be held in 1988. The show is set for January 15-17 at the Naples Depot, a historic building renovated by the City. The move to a new building should bring a positive element to this show. Two sets of very respected judges have agreed to judge this show. R. Tucker Abbott and Bob Wagner will judge the scientific division and Cecilia Abbott and Fran Wagner will judge the artistic division. The date Naples has selected makes it the first show of the Winter season. Thus some of the new exhibits may be on view for the first time at this show, and dealers may be showing their new stock first at Naples. The Naples Shell Club meets every 3rd Thursday of the month, October through May, at the Big Cypress Nature Center. Visitors are welcome. Inquiries about the club should be made to Naples Shell Club, P.O. Box 1991, Naples, FL 33939. Let us all extend our best wishes for a club which has just gotten a second wind. VOLUME 15:3 SHELLS AND SHOWS by John Landin (The following article, by a well known collector and exhibitor, broaches a provocative subject, one that is likely to meet with a bit of resistance here and there. His proposal is, however, sensible, well thought out and timely. There is a real need for some attention to the subject. We hope you read it in its entirety if you have any interest at all in exhibiting, and that you will give it the careful thought it deserves. Mr. Landin makes his proposal in hopes that it can be a starting point for formulation of some sort of rational, equitable guidelines that will be acceptable to all. (Mr. Landin sinultaneously submitted the original draft of this letter to Hawaiian Shell News and American Conchologist, with the intention of reaching as wide an audience as possible. An edited version appeared in the August, 1987 Hawaiian Shell News. We print a revision shephered by members of the COA Editorial Board. This article, it must be remembered, is offered as a forum for discussion. (Following Mr. Landin’s article, Donald Dan, COA Trophy Chairman and well known shell dealer, comments on the proposal. We hope that you will add your ideas to his, and send them on to Mr. Landin.) The collecting and preserving of molluscan armor is a fascinating hobby. Each year, U.S. and foreign shell clubs sponsor many shell shows where people flock to observe the beauty and intricacy of these products of a group of animals whose ancestors arose prior to the Paleozoic Era more than 600 million years ago. My initial impression of the shows was that their primary purpose was to educate and entertain the public and promote an increased interest in the collecting, preserving and studying of shells. I thought of each show as a short-term museum dedicated to the people. It did not take me long to discover that shell shows are hotbeds of com- petition, where the main thrust is the accumulation of ribbons and other awards. This being a competitive society where, as Vince Lombardi said, ‘‘Winning is everything,”’ I’ll go along with the program, so long as we don’t lose sight of the concept that the shows should entertain and educate the public while giving collec- tors the opportunity of observing and studying shells they may never have seen before. All shell shows have rules that the exhibitors must abide by. Some have quite a few rules, while others have hardly any. Some are specific, while others are quite vague. This lack of uniformity causes confusion among would-be exhibitors and creates imped- iments to the good, educational displays a shell show should pro- vide. As long as these shows are competitive in nature, and I haven’t found one that wasn’t, I believe that they could be more effective if they were all governed by a uniform code of rules. If such a code was implemented, exhibitors could move from one show to another without any particular difficulties or surprises. Competitive sports aren’t played without uniform rules that apply throughout the country. By the same token it appears to me that there is a need for an all-encompassing set of standards that would apply uniformly to all the shell shows held in the United States. Thus, after a great deal of deliberation, I set forth below a series of tentative standards for shell shows. I have gleaned these, for the most part, from various U.S. shell show entry forms ranging from Long Island to Crown Point to Miami and in between. The excep- tions are the rules pertaining to judges and judging. This area has not been addressed in any entry forms I’ve seen. All the articles are directed toward the scientific divisions of the shows, and are not AMERICAN CONCHOLOGIST PAGE 5 intended to apply to the artistic portions, although some of them would probably be applicable. 1) There shall be a total of three judges per each shell show. One shall be a shell collector, one shall be a shell dealer and one shall be a professional malacologist or conchologist. Each judge shall be required to have at least ten years experience in his field or com- bination of fields. 2) Each judge shall receive a standardized, adequate fee for judg- ing a show and shall be fully compensated for all out-of-pocket ex- penses incurred for travel, room and board in connection with his duties as a judge. 3) No judge shall be an exhibitor in a show he is judging, either directly or indirectly, nor a member of the club sponsoring the show, nor be closely associated with any exhibitor in the show. 4) Judges shall not be entertained by or be guests of any member of the group sponsoring a show prior to the completion of judging, except in the case of host club-sponsored functions. 5) During the period of judging, the three judges shall be accom- panied by two members of the sponsoring group who shall serve as clerks. Neither of the clerks is to be an exhibitor in the show being judged. 6) All decisions of the judges shall be final and not subject to appeal. 7) The shell show sponsor shall provide its own around-the-clock bonded security personnel for the protection of all exhibits displayed. They are not to depend upon any security services pro- vided by a mall or other agency that is supplying space for the show. 8) Each exhibitor shall furnish a certificate of insurance indicat- ing that his display is adequately covered against loss by theft, fire, vandalism, or other events that might result in loss of or damage to their exhibits. In lieu of this, the exhibitor shall sign a waiver absolving the sponsor of the show of any losses incurred. 9) All exhibits shall be housed in glass- or acrylic- covered cases that are not over 30 inches deep including the upright background, which shall be not over 30 inches high above the bottom of the case. The reverse side of any upright background must present a pleasing appearance so as not to detract from other displays. The length of any exhibit shall not be restricted, but an extensive display may have to be housed on more than one run of supports. 10) The only electrical devices permitted for exhibitors shall be battery operated. 11) An exhibitor may enter as many categories as he wishes, but must have a separate display for each category entered. 12) Dealers shall be permitted to enter displays and shall be eligi- ble for awards on the same basis as any other exhibitor. (I bought many of my shells from dealers worldwide. At one time or another I have dealt with almost all of them, from Singapore to Santa Bar- bara to the Culion Leper Colony in the Philippines. All of the dealers whom I know personally — and that includes most U.S. and many foreign dealers — have been knowledgeable, helpful and pleasant to deal with. Some shows do not permit dealers for one reason or another and I, for one, think this is unfortunate; a sense of cameraderie seems to be missing when they are not present. They help make the event more interesting and more fun. It is my conten- tion that if a dealer has enought initiative to put together a display, among all the other things he has to do, he should be allowed to compete. A bonafide dealer will not spend time or money accumu- lating the best shells for an exhibit. He will be selling them to the PAGE 6 customers. A dealer has nothing to gain by reserving shells for himself and antagonizing potential buyers.) 13) All shells displayed competitively shall be the personal prop- erty of the person exhibiting them. Any exhibitor utilizing borrowed specimens in his exhibit shall be disqualified. 14) Specimen shells that are displayed may have been obtained in any manner, save borrowing, except entries in the self-collected category. Shells in this category must have been collected by the person displaying them. 15) Any person competing for the self-collected shell of the show must mark the self collected shells in his display with a red star or other uniformly recognized device, unless all the shells in a par- ticular exhibit are self-collected and indicated as such, or a shell is displayed singly and labeled accordingly. 16) Any shell on competitive display in the show is eligible for the shell of the show award. 17) Exhibits must remain in place until the specified date and hour of removal, but may be excused by the show committee in the case of unexpected emergencies. Any exhibitor not abiding by this rule shall not be permitted to display at the sponsor’s next show. 18) The show committee reserves the right to refuse entries and to place an exhibit in its proper category. 19) All scientific judging shall be done on the basis of the follow- ing six categories. Each of the categories is to be graded by each of the judges in the range of 1 to 10 with a total of 180 being a perfect score. a) Arrangement and neatness of the exhibit. b) Educational and/or scientific value. c) Accuracy of the labeling. d) Quality and value of the shells displayed. e) Amount of work required to put the exhibit together. f) Originality of the presentation. 20) All shell show nomenclature and labeling of specimens shall be in accordance with the article by Walter Sage published in the COA Bulletin of March, 1987, Volume 15:1, Page 16 and titled ‘*‘Notes on Nomenclature and Labeling.”’ 21) If an exhibit has won a first place ribbon in any category in a specific show it must be changed by at least 50% before it is eligible to compete in the same category in the same show in the future. This does not preclude the display of an unchanged, winning ex- hibit in another category in a subsequent same show if it is eligible for display in another category. 22) If an exhibit has won the COA Award, the DuPont Award or any other major award, it must be changed by at least 50% to be eligible for the identical award again at any shell show in the United States. 23) No sale or advertisement for sale of shells is permitted in the show area except by those leasing dealer space, or by booths spon- sored by, and for the benefit of, the host club. 24) During judging, the exhibit area shall be closed to everyone except for the judges and clerks and hall maintenance crews. 25) An exhibitor’s name must not be displayed on his exhibit un- til judging has been completed. (NOTE: FACT OF LIFE!! Because of the limited number of shell show judges available, and the fact that they judge the various shows repeatedly, year after year, and because of the limited number of exhibitors who display in the various shows year after year, it is obvious that the cases, display techniques and shells used by the exhibitors become familiar to the judges; as a consequence in a good many cases, the judges are aware of whose displays they are judging. More judges and more exhibitors would help alleviate this situation.) 26) Entry forms must be in the hands of the exhibits chairman on or before a specified date. 27) The names of the judges for a show should be included, if possible, with the entry application forms for that show. AMERICAN CONCHOLOGIST VOLUME 15:3 28) A Proposed, Standardized Listing of Scientific Exhibit Categories: a) One Family — Salt Water b) One Genus — Salt Water c) One Species — Salt Water d) Land Shells e) Fresh Water Shells f) One Single Shell — Collected Any Manner g) One Single Shell — Self-Collected h) Miniature Shells i) Fossil Shells j) Shells From One Geographical Area k) General Collections 1) Specialty Collections m) Sea Life Collections Other Than Shells n) Juvenile Collector Categories This is a tentative listing of the minimum number of scientific categories that a shell show should have. Any number of additional categories can be added at the discretion of the shell show commit- tee. All categories should be identified clearly and described fully so as to preclude any exhibitor being confused as to what category he is entering. 30) A reasonable amount of time should be allotted by a show sponsor for exhibitors to set up and remove their exhibits. 31) New rules shall go into effect two years after adoption. This listing of standards is but a carefully considered suggestion which I hope can serve as a basis for development of a National Shell Show Code. Perhaps a National Shell Show Committee can be set up as a branch of the COA to study the matter. I believe that the COA could be influential in promoting and encouraging this concept and could exercise control through proper administration of its awards program. I’m sure plenty of people have opinions on my proposal, if not better ideas, so let’s have some input. Write or call me: P.O. Box 515, Palos Park, IL 60464. Telephone (312) 448-8479. TO PROMOTE ‘‘COA SHELL SHOW GUIDELINES’’ by Don Dan I’m very encouraged that John Landin has spearheaded this noble effort to promote a uniformity of interpretation of shell show rules. Among others, R. Tucker Abbott and I have agreed to support him in every way possible. We’d like to hear from a wide range of col- lectors and judges as to their thoughts in general and specific. My initial reaction to John’s draft is spelled out below: First off, I want to suggest that we call this effort ‘‘The COA Shell Show Guidelines.’’ I seem to think that COA is the most appropriate organization to promote these guidelines, even though, at this point, COA has not officially accepted the responsibility. An uniform interpretation of shell show rules appears to be long overdue, as evidenced by the recent spontaneous expressions of concern by both show judges and exhibitors. In this rush of enthu- siasm, however, let’s be cautioned that a rigid set of rules could be very stifling in some specific situations, and even be counter- productive. A negative aspect, of course, is the last thing we want. Wouldn’t it be a bore if, in the future, as a result of a rigid set of rules, all the shell shows would be look-alikes? Is it not that we want a set of guidelines that both are helpful to show sponsors, judges and exhibitors, and would promote a growing series of vibrant and innovative shell shows? In other words, a set of guidelines that allow for refreshing differences? I therefore recommend that we write flexible guidelines and not rigid rules. We should even allow for deviation from the guidelines at a shell club’s discretion. As an example, shell clubs may indicate on their shell show rules that their rules conform to the COA Shell t} VOLUME 15.3 Show Guidelines, with notation as to specific areas of deviation, if any. As to specific Guidelines: Being a shell dealer, I’d like to focus on areas I am most familiar with, including John’s selection criteria for shell show judges. I am not in favor of dealers being judges because of obvious difficulties with conflict of interest. It is no ser- vice to dealers to make them subject, in their judges’ decisions, to pressures from customer-exhibitors. Nor will even the most scrupulous of judging appear unbiased if the dealer who is judging sold the winner his shells. John has made several efforts to minimize conflict of interest elsewhere. This area, as well, deserves attention. AMERICAN CONCHOLOGIST PAGE7 As to whether dealers should be allowed to exhibit in a com- petitive show, unfortunately the prevailing thinking seems to be that dealers have unusual advantages in obtaining specimens. This precept is not uniformly true, especially if we are talking about self- collected shells. Personally, however, I would not exhibit in a shell show in competition with my customers for obvious reasons. In a few instances when I was called upon to lend support to a show by exhibiting, I put myself in a non-competitive category. Finally, we should realize that whatever we do in this endeavor will probably not be perfect, but even if we succeed halfway, I think it would be worth all the support we can give. So let’s hear from you! C. insularum from the collection of Gene Everson. All others from the collection of Roberta Cranmer. Photos by Bill Doolin Left to right — Chicoreus palmarosae, C. saulii, C. steeriae and C. insularum. ROSE BRANCH AND FRIENDS by Lynn Scheu Even those few spartan individuals who don’t like murex recognize the rococo glory of the Rose Branch Murex, Chicoreus palmarosae (Lamarck, 1822). In a really superb specimen, the elegantly proportioned, spirally corded shell is complemented by long, extravagantly branched pink, orchid or lavender fronds. It’s a shell to make a collector out of anyone. But the new murex collector soon learns that even the Rose Branch has its ‘‘mimics.’’ Nothing is simple in the world of murex. Chicoreus saulii (Sowerby, 1841), C. steeriae (Reeve, 1845) and C. insularum (Pilsbry, 1921) may all have the brown and tan-to-pink spirally corded shell and those recurved frondose varices tipped in shades of pink-to-lavender. ‘‘So,’’ our puzzled novice wonders, “should I start collecting bivalves?’’ Not necessary at all, Dear Novice. At the risk of blundering into the same quicksand that has claimed other attempts to clarify this group, we’ll set you straight: The Rose Branch Murex belongs to the genus (or subgenus, depending upon whose book you open) Chicoreus. It’s a large group containing those murex with a fattish body whorl and a rather high spire and having three varices per whorl composed of various forms of fronds and spines. A confusing group, all in all — differentiation among the Chicoreus often depends upon the angle of attachment of a frond or the relative length of a certain spine. Not so with our little group. Chicoreus palmarosae occurs from Ceylon and Thailand up through the Philippines to Okinawa and south to Northern Australia. The beautiful variety with lavender fronds appears to be restricted to the Indian Ocean — Ceylon and Thailand. Specimens from the Philippines and other areas have more mundane brown- tipped spines. But identification of the species should focus on the aperture. The adherent columellar lip is the real distinctive feature of C. palmarosae — note its brown-stained edge and row of tiny white denticles. None of our other three species has this feature. The Rose Branch also has a broad, shallow posterior canal, bounded by a heavy knob on each side. And it is helpful to note that the area between the main fronds on the varices is bare. Compare these features to Chicoreus saulii. Saul’s Murex appears to be centered in the Philippines, with a rare excursion north to the Ryukyus and south to New Guinea. It generally seems to be a bit more elongate and delicate in sculpture and a bit lighter and less massive. Saul’s Murex also may lack the lavender on the fronds. But these are differences of degree. To interpret these dif- ferences, one must have both shells in hand. We shall need a better guide. And again, the aperture is the key. C saulii’s briefly detached, barely erect columellar lip is smooth, or has a few tiny, in- conspicuous beads at either end, and it is edged in pink, not brown. The anal canal is deep and U-shaped, not broad and shallow, and has several small beads on each side. And that area between the varical spines on Saul’s Murex is filled in with tiny spines pointing toward the aperture. PAGE 8 Apertural views: left — C. palmarosae; right — C. saulae Chicoreus steeriae comes only from the Marquesas Islands in French Polynesia. Probably a first cousin to C. palmarosae and C. saulii, it shares the general coloration and those lavender-tipped fronds. But this species is widely separated geographically from its relatives, and exhibits expected differences. Its columellar lip is adherent like palmarosae, rose-edged like saulii. And it has the small intermediate varical spines of saulii. The anal sulcus is deep and inverted v-shaped, bounded by a heavy ridge on the columellar side. But comparing C. steeriae to Saul’s and the Rose Branch Murex really need go only as far as general shape. C. steeriae looks stunted, dwarfed, with a shortened siphonal canal, shorter spire, and more massive body. Its sculpture is coarser as well, with a heavy knob between varices. And the varices in the spire frequently lack varical fronds.* Chicoreus insularum, Hawaii’s beloved and jealously guarded MITRA HEILPRINI BECOMES MITRA LINEOLATA by Walter Sage A letter from Richard E. Petit, current president of the American Malacological Union, draws our attention to some name changes in Florida fossils. He refers us to a short paper he recently coauthored with Druid Wilson on the correct date of publication for new species described on pages 65-127 of Heilprin’s classic work, Ex- plorations on the West Coast of Florida.* Their paper convincingly demonstrates that these pages were actually published in1886, not 1887 as commonly cited, and makes necessary several changes in the species citations used in our June issue. The name Mitra heilprini Cossman, 1899, as used on the caption to the front cover and on pages 4 and 6 should be Mitra lineolata Heilprin, 1886. Additional changes should be made as follows: page 4 — Vasum horridum Heilprin, 1886; Turbinella regina Heilprin, 1886 [the correct genus name should be used here and on page 5, as was properly done on the cover caption]; Subpterynotus textilis (Gabb, 1873) [again, the correct genus name should be used, see p. 7]; and Cypraea problematica Heilprin, 1886; page 5 — Fasciolaria scalarina Heilprin, 1886; page 6 — Scaphella floridana (Heilprin, 1886). Mr. Petit also makes the following point, ‘‘The editor should be requested not to publish manuscript names (see (American Con- chologist) 15(2):11 where a Petuch MS name for an Ecphora is mentioned. Manuscript names also should not be used in labelling shells on displays at shows, as I have seen done.)’’ We thank Mr. Petit for calling these matters to our attention and encourage all our readers to send us your constructive criticism. *Petit, R. E. and D. Wilson. 1986. Publication dates of Heilprin’s Explorations on the west coast of Florida. Tulane Studies in Geology and Paleontology 19(2):95, 96. VOLUME 15:3 endemic, and the last of the group, is perhaps most closely related to steeriae. Both inhabit the central Pacific, and are widely separated geographically from saulii and palmarosae, perhaps because of some prehistoric extinction of intervening forms. Both C. insularum and C. steeriae are stockier than the more westerly species. And both have that heavy intervarical knob. Jnsularum seems to have a slightly longer siphonal canal, and somewhat shorter spines. Although it often has the brown/lavender colora- tion, insularum can be much paler and lack the lavender fronds altogether. But again these are differences of degree, and we must look to the aperture to decisively separate the two. C. insularum has an erect and detached columellar lip which is entirely white, or , at most, yellowish, quite unlike C. steeriae’s adherent rose-hued lip. And it lacks the secondary, ventral pointing spines on the varix. *Chicoreus steeriae has often been confused with C. maurus. In recent years, several authorities have placed the name Sfeeriae in synonymy with C. maurus to designate the Chicoreus from the Marquesas. But the original illustration of Murex maurus Broderip, 1833 (in Sowerby, 1834-41, The Conchological Illustrations) shows a shell most unlike the Marquesas shell, closer to Chicoreus torrefactus. Broderip did designate the Marquesas as the type locality for C. maurus, but the name has for some time been associated with a torrefactus-like shell from South Africa, which has been recently reclassified as Chicoreus kilburni Houart & Pain, 1982. References consulted: Fair, Ruth, 1976. The Murex Book, pp. 51, 57-8, 65, 75, 78; Pl. 6, 8. Freeman, David, 986. Chicoreus maurus (Broderip, 1833), The Strandloper, May/June, 1986, pp. 4-5. Freeman, David, 1986. Unraveling the Murex maurus mystery, Hawaiian Shell News, Dec., 1986, p. 9. (An edited reprint of the above.) Hinton, Alan, 1972. Shells of New Guinea and the Central Indo-Pacific, p. 34; pl. 17. Houart, Roland, 1987. Hawaiian Shell News, March, 1987, p. 11. Kay, E. Alison, 1979. Hawaiian Marine Shells, pp. 236-7. Kilburn, Richard and Elizabeth Rippey, 1982. Sea Shells of Southern Africa, p. 81; pl. 18. Radwin, George and Anthony D’Attilio, 1976. Murex Shells of the World, pp. 38-40, 427 plo: Salvat, Bernard and Claude Rives, 1975. Coquillages de Polynesie, pp. 144, 311. Springsteen, F. J. and F. M. Leobrera, Shells of the Philippines, p. 134, pl. 36. COA TROPHY WINNER SHELLARAMA ’87 Central Florida Shell Club and Sea World of Orlando, March 13-15. WINNERS: Carolyn and Ear! Petrikin TITLE OF DISPLAY: ‘‘King of the Bay’’ An educational entry entitled ‘‘King of the Bay,’’ showing size, color, variations and habitat of the genus Melongena won the COA Trophy for Carol and Earl Petrikin. The Petrikin’s exhibit was a real winner, having already won the DuPont Trophy at the Astronaut Trail Shell Show in January. The Petrikins are members of the Suncoast Conchologists Club of Clearwater as well as the St. Petersburg Shell Club and COA. Congratulations to Carol and Earl for an outstanding exhibit. VOLUME 15:3 All shells from the collection of Richard Goldberg Bostryx solutus (Troschel, 1847) El Infiernillo, Rio Rimac, 90km. northeast of Lima, at 3340m. Leg. W. Weyrauch. 9.5mm. All photos by Richard Goldberg Land Snails: UNUSUAL BULIMULIDAE FROM PERU by Richard Goldberg (In landforms, Peru somewhat resembles its northern neighbors — Ecuador and Colombia. It has a long, narrow, low coastal plain paralleled by imposing mountain ranges, with a large forested lowland to the east. A major difference, however, is the cold ocean current off the coast of Peru. The westerly air masses that cross that current before they reach land bring cool air to the coast with two results: almost no rain falls on the coastal plain, making it one of the driest spots on earth, and the climate is temperate all year. The coastal plain is irrigated by rivers running down from the Andes. Two principal ranges of the Andes — the western and the eastern — extend the length of Peru. The western range splits into two separate ranges in the south, known as the Black Range (a for- bidding line of dark peaks) and the snow-capped White Range, whose principal peak, Mr. Huascaran is more than 22,000 feet. To the east the Andes descend through foothills to the tropical forests of central South America and to great rivers, including the Amazon. These forests and rivers are supported by the heavy rains that fall east of the Andes. The eastern slopes of the Andes are suitable for cultivation of a great variety of crops, especially in the open valleys, and crops such as wild rubber, vanilla and cinchona, the source of quinine, are harvested from the tropical forests there.) No place on earth does the terrestrial family Bulimulidae attain such unusually varied shapes and forms as in Peru. A few genera — the tropical New World Drymaeus, for instance — contain color- ful and extremely variable species. Other Bulimulid genera, while they are less colorful, indeed, almost unicolor or chalky white, ex- hibit unique, incredibly shaped shells. The genera Bostryx Troschel, 1847 and Scutalus Albers, 1850 are in this latter category. Bostryx contains the most diversely shaped species of all Bulimulids. Bostryx are found in South America from Chile north through Peru and Ecuador, Bolivia, northern Argentina, and possibly Venezuela. After doing anatomical studies on the animals of many Bostryx species, Bruere in 1979 reduced 233 associated groups or subgenera to synonyms of the genus Bostryx (sensu lato). It is no wonder that all of these subgenera were erected, when one considers the great morphologic diversity within the genus. And the Peruvian Bostryx are the most fascinating of all. The vermiform Bostryx solutus (Troschel, 1847) has been reported by Wolfgang Weyrauch from central Peru, around Rio Rimac, northeast of Lima, at 3300+ meters above sea level. Once placed in the subgenus Bostryx sensu stricto, this small species averages around 9 to 10 mm. It has six whorls; the first four attached, the latter two completely free, giving the shell its unusual shape. B. AMERICAN CONCHOLOGIST B. metagyra — Huacho, Peru. Wolfgang Weyrauch. 9mm. solutus is said to be associated with limestone rock faces, but no definitive ecological data is available. Bostryx metagyra Pilsbry & Olsson, 1949, a white shell, has non- vermiform whorls. The final whorl, instead of descending, dilates laterally, revolving in a flat plane, and gives the shell a very squat, almost triangular shape. This most unusual aspect to the shell’s morphology, i.e. the last whorl changing in shape from a typical Bulimulid coil to a widely expanded one, is unknown in other Peru- vian Bulimulidae. Bostryx metagyra, averaging around 8 mm., has been reported from the /omas (hills) near Huacho, north of Lima. Bostryx scalariformis (Broderip, in Broderip & Sowerby, 1832) is so variable that a number of subspecies have been described. Its axial riblets vary from being widely to finely and evenly spaced according to where they were collected, although some variability within populations does exist. Some forms of B. scalariformis, B. scalariformis — (top row) Weyrauch distributed a number of species to collectors and museums with manuscript names on the data tags, while designating type material. This is one such form. These specimens were designated by Weyrauch as paratypes, but they have no validity. They are from Lachay, near Chancay, north of Lima at 300m. Leg. W. Weyrauch. 10mm. (bottom row) Another of Weyrauch’s manuscript forms, these were aiso designated as paratypes. These are from Atocongo, near Lima at 250m. Leg. W. Weyrauch. 14mm. PAGE 10 almost mimic some species of Epitonium. Ranging from 10 to about 20 mm., it is found in central Peru, near Lima, at 200 to 300 meters. A similar species, Bostryx vilchezi Weyrauch, 1960, is a small (7-8 mm.) species with approximately 15 to 17 prominent riblets. Unlike the chalky white-to-tan B. scalariformis, B. vilchezi is brownish with white riblets, and is somewhat shiny. It is only found in northern Peru around Cutervo, at approximately 2000 meters. B. vilchezi — Paratypes from Socota, 20km. northeast of Cutervo at 1950m. Leg. W. Weyrauch. 8mm. The genus Bostryx also has species with turreted spires. B. elatus (Philippi, 1869) is one of many similar elongate, turreted species, but seems closest to the typical Bulimulid shape. Also rather small, averaging under 20 mm., it is recorded from central and southern Peru at approximately 3000 feet. It is found arboreally, associated with limestone. B. elatus is ornamented with brown streaks, often in pairs, over a dirty white base color. B. elatus — Mejorada, Rio Mantaro, at 2900m. Leg. W. Weyrauch. 17-17mm. Unlike B. elatus, Bostryx turritus (Broderip, in Broderip & Sowerby, 1832) is banded, and in shape is very like some freshwater Melanids. Restricted to the mountains near Trujillo, central coastal Peru at approximately 1500 meters, it is similar in size to B. elatus. Quite unlike B. elatus and many other Bostryx species, its um- bilicus is reduced to a mere chink-like perforation. At the other end of the spectrum is Bostryx perforatus (Haas, 1951), appropriately named for its wide, deep umbilicus, one of the most excavated of the group. Running the entire length of the shell up to the spire, it looks like a drill hole. Depending upon where it is found, it can be either chalky white or a brownish or purplish streaked pattern. Sculptured with fine axial striations, it averages around 20 mm. It was originally described as a Bulimulus in the subgenus A taxus, a subgenus erected for species with similarly deep AMERICAN CONCHOLOGIST VOLUME 15:3 (Left) B. turritus — coastal Samne, near Trujillo, Liber- tad Dept. at 1500m. Leg. W. Weyrauch. 18mm. (Right) B. perforatus — Nino Bamba, Rio Pampas, affluent of Rio Apurimac at 1900 m. Leg. W. Weyrauch. This is the type locality and these are from the original series that Haas described. 17-18mm. umbilici. B. perforatus is found in Southern Peru, around Ayachucho and the Rio Pampas, at approximately 2000 meters. B. infundibulum (Pfeiffer, 1853) is a very closely related species, but is generally smaller and narrower, with a funnel-shaped umbilicus which is not as wide and deep as B. perforatus. B. perforatus and its associated species are reported to live on grass among limestone rocks. Bostryx reentsi (Philippi, 1851) is relatively large (25-31mm), but always cretaceous-like, even in living specimens. What it lacks in exterior color, it makes up in shape and sculpture. The surface is transversely wrinkled, giving the shell a shrivelled or dented appearance. In contrast to the dull exterior, the aperture is deep rose to purple in living specimens, pinkish in dead ones. Its type locality is a sandy hill, above the limits of vegetation, near Chala, southern coastal Peru, at approximately 150 meters. Other records include Pucallpa in central and eastern Peru near the Brazil border. This species seems to have a wider range than most other Bostryx. B. reentsi — (left) From type locality, Chala, Leg. W. Weyrauch. (Right) Pucallpa. Note variability among individual populations. 24-28mm. A shell described as Helix reentsi Philippi in 1855 is very unbulimulid-like, subsequently redescribed as Bostryx eremo- thauma (Pilsbry, 1896) when it was found to belong in the Bulimulidae. The name ‘‘reentsi’’ was obviously preoccupied by the previous species. It is not surprising that Philippi was misled into believing this species to be a Helix (In the early years of malacology all helical-shaped land shells were called as Helix). Pilsbry placed it in the subgenus Platybostryx Pilsbry, 1896. The nominate form is VOLUME 15:3 B. eremothauma — another of Weyrauch’s unpublished species, these specimens were also designated as paratypes. Leg. W. Weyrauch. 11-12.5mm. found in Altacama Province, Chile, but two specimens before me, Weyrauch distinguished as different, although he never published the subspecific name he assigned to them. He collected them at Tambo Viso, Rio Rimac, southern Peru at 2700 meters. The Peru- vian specimens have much finer and less prominent sculpture than the Chilean ones. They measure 11 and 12.5mm, a bit larger than most Chilean specimens. I have encountered no other records for this species outside of Chile. The range of B. eremothauma can be extended over 600 miles north into Peru. B. weyrauchi — Ninabamba, Rio Pampas, affluent of Rio Apurimac. Leg. W. Weyrauch. This is the type locality and these are from the original series that Pilsbry described. The specimen on the right is immature, but shows the bands sometimes seen in this species. 17-19mm. The only other species described in the subgenus Platybostryx is Bostryx weyrauchi Pilsbry, 1944, a larger species (17-19mm) and confined to southern Peru around Ayacucho at approximately 2000 meters. Its contour and sculpture immediately differentiate the two sepcies. B. weyrauchi varies considerably in shape and height of spire. Some specimens have pale brown spiral bands above and below the peripheral keel. The interior of the aperture is sometimes brown-tinted or white. It is more closely related in shape to Bostryx reentsi than B. eremothauma with which Pilsbry originally grouped it: Based on anatomical studies, Breure (1978) has reduced the genus Xenothauma Fulton, 1896 to a junior subjective synonym of Scutalus (Scutalus) Albers, 1850. Three species were described in Xenothauma, all representing some of the most bizarre and unbulimulid-like species from Peru. Scutalus (Scutalus) baroni (Fulton, 1896) is a dull, chalky species, helical, sharply keeled, and with a wide deep umbilicus. Restricted to the Tembladera region of northern Peru, the type locality is Rio Yonan, affluent of Rio Jequetepeque. Tembladera is about 2000 feet. There is no other species like it in South America, and it is amazingly similar to Geomitra delphinula, a fossil member of the family Helicidae from Madeira. Its average size is around 25mm in diameter, but it varies considerably in spire height. Some species have an almost flat spire, while others are quite elevated. Scutalus (Scutalus) nobilis (Pilsbry & Olsson, 1949 also has a dull white, calcareous appearance, and a rather large, deep umbilicus partially covered by the basal portion of the broadly expanded peristome. Its main difference from S. (S.) baroni is the much AMERICAN CONCHOLOGIST PAGE 11 higher spire and smoother sculpture. It is found in the same locality as S. baroni, and, like S. baroni, attached to the bare limestone cliff faces of this area. This represents just a small sample of the fascinating variety of Bulimulids from Peru. With further exploration of the remote and inaccessible areas of Peru, many new and equally unusual species are bound to come to light. Scutalus (Scutalus) baroni — Type locality Rio Yonan at 400m. Leg. W. Weyrauch. Note variability of spire height in one popula- tion. 26-28mm. Geomitra (Craspedaria) delphinula (Lowe, 1831) — a fossil species in the Helicidae from the Madeira Archipelago, which has a strik- ing resemblance to S. baroni. 20mm. S. (S.) nobilis — Rio Yonan, between Chiclayo and Cajamarca at 500m. Leg. W. Weyrauch. Specimen has chipped lip. Very rare. 25mm. References consulted: Breure, A. S. H., 1978. Notes on and description of Bulimulidae (Mollusca, Gastropoda). -Zool. Verh. Leiden 168: 1-215. (a) B. eremothauma — Chile (b) B. infundibulum — Aya- cucho, Peru. both illustra- tions are from Pilsbry (1896), Man. Conch. (2) 10: pl. 44. Breure, A. S. H., 1979. Systematics, phylogeny & zoogeography of Bulimulinae (Mollusca). -Zool. Verh. Leiden 168: 1-215. Haas, F., 1947. Malacological Notes - V; Peruvian land and fresh-water shells. Fieldiana 31: 22, pp. 171-172. Haas, F., 1951. Remarks on and description of South American non-marine shells. Fieldiana 31: 46, pp. 503-545. Haas, F., 1955. On non-marine shells from northeastern Brazil and Peru. Fieldiana 37: pp. 303-337 Pilsbry, H. A., 1895-1896. American bulimi and bulimuli. Strophocheilus, Plekocheilus, Auris, Bulimulus. -Man. Conch., (2) 10: i-iv, pp. 1-213. Pilsbry, H. A., 1897-1898. American Bulimulidae: Bulimulus, Neopetraeus, Oxychona, and South American Drymaeus. -Man. Conch. (2) 11: pp. 1-399. Pilsbry, H. A., 1901-1902. Oriental bulimoid Helicidae; Odontostomidae; Cerinoidae. Classification of Bulimulidae and index to volumes 10-14. -Man. Conch. (2) 14: i-xcix, pp. 1-302. Pilsbry, H. A. & Olsson, A. A., 1949. The landsnail genus Xenothauma and other carinate Bulimulidae of Peru. Notul. Naturae, 215: 1-14. Weyrauch, W. K., 1960. Zwanzig neue Landschnecken aus Peru. Arch. Moll. 89: 1/3, pp. 23-48. Zilch, A., 1959-1960. Gastropoda, Euthyneura. Handbuch der palaozoologie, (6) 2: i-xii, 1-834, A DAY’S COLLECTING IN THE FLORIDA KEYS by Walter Sage It was after a very successful meeting of the American Mala- cological Union in Key West this past July that I spent two days with Homer Rhode on Big Pine Key. While there we went out for a day of collecting in the Keys with Raymond Pease, his daughter Pam, and her husband Larry, who were down from South Carolina for a lobster season vacation. The five of us put out from Key West at about 9 a.m. The weather was the best it had been for the past few days. Our first stop was about ten miles out, near Boca Grande, where we dropped anchor in about 15-18 feet of water. Homer and Ray donned scuba gear, while Larry snorkeled and I made an attempt to snorkel. I abandoned this idea due to the difficulty of using borrowed gear and my inability to see without a prescription face mask. After about an hour in the water, our companions returned with several species, among them Cypraea cervus Linné, 1771, Lima scabra (Born, 1778), Chlamys imbricata (Gmelin, 1791), Chlamys sentis (Reeve, 1853) and Vasum muricatum (Born, 1778). Homer and Ray remarked that they had hoped to find more species, but that many rocks appeared to have been recently turned and then replaced in their original positions. We then headed back toward Key West and stopped about five miles out, at a place where the water was less than six feet deep. This time I had no trouble snorkeling in the waist- to neck-deep water, and really had a wonderful time just looking at all the AMERICAN CONCHOLOGIST VOLUME 15:3 marine life. My only problem was forgetting to breathe when I’d see something of particular interest or beauty! I spotted several species of mollusks, the most prevalent being Astraea tecta americana (Gmelin, 1791), often nesting with urchins in crevices. The urchins were everywhere, as were sponges, corals and gorgeously colored fish. Among the species found here were Charonia variegata (Lamarck, 1822), Vasum muricatum, both species of Chlamys, Cypraea cervus, Pleuroploca gigantea (Kiener, 1840) Strombus gigas (Linné, 1758), a protected species in Florida (and other areas in the Caribbean), which by law cannot be col- lected, and some smaller mollusks. Here again Ray and Homer remarked that there were signs that other collectors had recently turned and then replaced the rocks. This trip, my first underwater adventure in the Florida Keys, was great fun and a fitting end to a wonderful Florida visit. The com- bination of being out in the open, and enjoying the water, sun and breeze was near perfection. I would urge you all, even if you don’t self collect, to get in the water and snorkel — there is so much beauty in nature to experience at first hand. ‘‘It doesn’t get any better than this!’’ Photos by Beatrice Winner Syrinx aruanus — a few juveniles showing the early whorls. Right: 10 inch Syrinx egg mass. SYRINX ARUANUS by Beatrice Winner The Syrinx aruanus Linnaeus, 1758 belongs to the family Melongenidae. Its geographical range is from northern Australia at Bunbury, W. A. to southern Queensland. The northern shells have a shouldered spire, and the shoulders are carinated, sometimes nodulose; but at the southern end of the species’ range in Western Australia, the spire is low and straight-sided, the shoulders rounded. The egg cases and juvenile shells were found in Rodds Bay, south of Gladstone, Australia, where they had washed up on shore. They are generally trawled along the coastline, but can also be found in certain areas on mudflats. Trawled specimens are clean, whereas the shells found on mudflats are often worm-eaten and damaged. The egg cases averaged ten inches in size. The young, which can be seen in Figure 1, have very high spires. The sexes are separate and fertilization is internal. I thank Mrs. Heidke of Australia who sent me this egg mass for my collection which has now reached over seventy species. Beatrice Winner, 342 Southwind Drive #101, North Palm Beach, FL 33408, collects and studies molluscan egg masses. VOLUME 15:3 BEST OF THE NEWSLETTERS: (This Spring, your editors initiated as a regular feature a writing competition designed to encourage amateurs to write about their hobby, and to promote club newsletters. We chose the winner from among publications which regularly exchange with us. We are pleased to introduce the first Best of the Newsletters, from the January 1987 issue of Shell and Tell, publication of the Gulf Coast Shell Club, edited by Jim and Linda Brunner:) A MASON JAR AQUARIUM by Linda and Jim Brunner In December, when school is out for teachers and tides are minus, shellers have choices. They can sit and contemplate their navels, do last minute shopping, go shelling every wak- ing moment or catch up on maintenance around the house. Jim and I combined two of these. Because we live on a bay, nature forces us to reclaim, from time to time, some of the natural resources she moves around — namely sand. It has been a cou- ple of years since we have had to do this, and Hurricane Elena did move a lot of sand from our yard. As she did this, she almost closed a navigable channel in our property. Because we were involved in studies this past year, this filling in has meant little. But as we began to emerge from the study cocoon, it became obvious that the chan- nel needed to be dug out again. The best time to reclaim one’s sand from the sea is during winter low tides. Armed with wheelbarrow and shovel, Jim trudged out to the island to reclaim OUR eroded dirt that threatened to close the channel. As he began, he thought of the Tagelus plebeius shells we had found during the summer. We were not sure if Elena had damaged the colony, or if she had moved some remains to our area. Watchful as he shoveled, he soon discovered live specimens. Their depth in the sand was approximately one foot. When we speak of sand, we are not referring to the sparkling clean variety. A more apt description would be foul-smelling muck. In checking the literature, we found that this type of bay bottom is their favorite habitat. Having tossed several specimens into deeper water, Jim decided to bring some in to observe. First we placed two in a jar with bay water and watched them for several days. During this period, we observed their siphons extending to twice the length of the shell. Then we lost one of the specimens due to siphonal damage during a water change. Next we decided that it would be interesting to observe their bur- rowing techniques. For this we needed some sand and a larger jar. We grabbed a Mason jar and collected some sand from the original habitat. After the sand settled, we added the remaining original specimen and a fresh one. The older one dug in after about 48 hours, and the other followed shortly thereafter. They did this in stages, using their foot to shove sand to one side until they could slide their shells halfway into the sand. After this, each seemed to sink into the sand and no movement was visible to us. A few days later Jim brought in two more specimens so we could observe again to see if we had missed anything. Because the others had been slow to adapt, we placed these new specimens on the sand and ate our lunch. Thirty minutes later, as we were cleaning dishes, we were AMERICAN CONCHOLOGIST PAGE 13 amazed to find no trace of the shells except for siphonal holes. We currently have five specimens in a large, clear glass jar. When we changed to the larger jar, we timed the ‘‘digging in’’ process. The smaller specimens — about 24mm — took approximately 48 seconds to disappear, while the larger one — 40mm — took twice as long. Sharing the jar and sand is a Macoma constricta (Bruguiere, 1792) from the same area. All that is observable of the 7. plebeius specimens is siphons. Each shell has two. One is an intake siphon and the other is an out- put. They are filter feeders feeding on matter suspended in the water. The retracted siphon holes change positions, leading us to suspect the possibility of in-sand horizontal burrowing. The M. constricta is not visible at all. His path through the sand can be seen just under the surface, and resembles that of a sand dollar. Our jar aquarium is now five weeks old and we offer the follow- ing tips: If you want to observe burrowing bivalves, just grab an old Mason jar and some sand, and have a daily supply of salt water available. They make great pets, as they don’t have to be walked, don’t bark or lick your face, don’t claw the furniture, and it isn’t necessary to buy expensive food for them. However, untike most aquaria where there is a lot to see, viewing one full of burrowing bivalves has all the romantic adventure of watching paint dry. Photo by Jim and Linda Brunner (Top) Tagelus plebeius; (bottom) Tagelus divisus. From the family Solecurtidae Orbigny, 1846, Tagelus divisus (Spengler, 1794) and Tagelus plebeius (Lightfoot, 1786) inhabit a few of our local bays in muddy sand. The ugly duckling of the pair is T. plebeius. A very fragile shell — its common name of Stout Tagelus must refer to obesity! — it is chalky white with a dull brown, flaky periostracum over fine concentric wrinkles. In shape it is oblong and somewhat inflated. The posterior end is round, while the anterior end is obliquely truncated. The hinge has two small cardinal teeth with a bulbous callus behind them. The range of T. plebeius is from Cape Cod to Texas and the West Indies. It reaches 34 inches in length, but in our area specimens rarely exceed two inches. 7. plebeius is found from the low tide line to about 20 feet. Tagelus divisus, the Purplish Tagelus, on the other hand, is a dia- mond by comparison. Named by Spengler, a protege’ of Linné, 7. divisus is smaller than 7. plebeius. It ranges from one to 1% inches in length and is covered by a thin glossy brown periostracum. The interior of the shell is whitish purple to pink, and the exterior has several darker brownish rays spreading outward from the hinge, appearing to overlay the purplish color which shows through from the inside. The valves are reinforced by an internal radial rib run- ning across the center of the valves that is often obscure. It also has two small cardinal teeth that are anterior or forward of the rib. It PAGE 14 ranges from Cape Cod to Texas and Bermuda. These drab species are rapid burrowers and are often found in brackish water, although we did find 7. divisus only in the clean, sandy areas of St. Andrew Sound and St. Joe Bay. All in all they’re not much to look at (except to others of their species, or an occa- sional predator) but they’re the only Solecurtidae we have. (The March-April Shell and Tell announced the following:) MASON JAR AQUARIUM — A POSTSCRIPT We blew it! And because we did, we have to add a tragic footnote to the last newsletter’s lead article on raising Tagelus plebeius in a Mason jar. On arecent shelling trip, we were delighted to capture a live Amber Bubble, Haminoea succinea (Conrad, 1846) — a first. Returning home tired but happy, we dumped the bubble into the aquarium with plans to study it later. Later turned out to be around dinner time when we sat down to read about our new visitor. The reading proved interesting until we hit the line that said, ‘‘Bubble shells are generally carnivorous, swallowing their prey alive . . .’’ Four eyes shot to the jar — but, alas, too late! Not only had we found a live bubble. We had found a hungry live bubble. That little rat had nailed two of our four Jagelus in the space of a few hours. We hope he en- joys his new home, which is about thirty feet out into Fanning Bayou. HOW SWEET IT IS by Mili Backus The 16th Annual COA Convention in Fabulous Ft. Myers, Florida on July 11-15, 1988 will be guests of Southwest Florida Conchologist Society. It was joyous bedlam at SWFSC Headquarters when President Gene Herbert received word from St. Louis that COA had unanimously accepted the invitation to celebrate its 1988 Annual Meeting in Fort Myers. Phones started ringing all over the ‘‘City of Palms’’ and its outposts in North, South and East Fort Myers, Sanibel and Captiva Islands, Cape Coral, Estero, Bonita Springs and Fort Myers Beach. The new and magnificent Sheraton Harbor Place, on the banks of the Caloosahatchee River, with a panoramic view of the city and overlooking the beautiful yacht basin, is delighted to welcome the COA Convention in July, 1988. The hotel has 452 luxurious suites, with handicapped and non-smoking units, one indoor and two out- door pools, plus an aqua lounge with poolside entertainment, ten- nis courts, shops and boutiques, a beauty salon, health spa, excellent restaurants, boat docks, boat rentals, cruises, and cham- pionship golf nearby. There’s inside hotel parking for 556 autos and up to 400 are reserved for COA free of charge during the Con- vention. SWFESC members are volunteering in force to work on various committees to insure a super wonderful COA ‘‘SWEET SIX- TEEN’’ Convention in 1988. Already General Convention Co- Chairmen Gene Herbert and AI Bridell are deep into early planning stages. Vivienne Smith heads up Registrations, ably assisted by Loretta Rupert, Ernie and Murial Jones, and Peter and Virginia Lee. Fascinating field trips are being checked out by Dennis Dworak. Bill Shaw is Convention Treasurer. Solicitations for the COA Shell Auction and door prizes are in the capable hands of Olin Bell and Bart Zanarini. Bill Hallstead will coordinate the Dealers’ Bourse. Jean Hallstead is creating a fantastic ‘‘Christmas in July’? theme for COA’s ‘‘Sweet Sixteen’’ Banquet. Reams of publicity are flowing out of Mili Backus’s pen. And this is just the beginning! There’s so much to do, to see, and to enjoy in Southwest Florida that SWFSC suggests COA members start seriously considering ex- tending their stay in this exciting area beyond the five days of the Convention. Rates at the Sheraton Harbor Place are $55 per night for single, double and up to four occupancy. This rate applies three AMERICAN CONCHOLOGIST VOLUME 15:3 days before and up to three days after the Convention. Eleven major and four commuter airlines serve the new Southwest Florida Regional Airport, only 30 minutes away from downtown Fort Myers. Transportation to and from the Sheraton via Sunlines is free, courtesy of the hotel. Circle July 11-15, 1988 on your calendar today and share with us the wonder and delight that only COA can generate. Come help us make this ‘‘Sweet Sixteen’’ a memorable one. Speaking of conventions, COA needs a host club for 1989. It’s not too early to start the planning phase. To find out more of what is involved, you can request a sixteen minute slide/tape/script presen- tation that outlines all aspects of hosting a successful convention. And, we have written a ‘‘How-To’’ handbook on “‘. . . Everything you wanted to know about hosting a convention but were afraid to ask.’’ For more information, write the president. THE ELUSIVE WENTLETRAP, Epitonium gradatum by Norman D. Paschall In April, 1844, Sowerby described this species as Scalarina gradata from specimens Hinds brought him from ‘‘Amboyna,”’ an island in the Moluccas Group, Indonesia. Reeve, Tryon and others perpetuated this incorrect locality record. The type locality was eventually restricted to Ecuador. Over the years, this species has picked up a few symonyms: Carpenter in 1856 gave it the name Scalaria subnodosa, and Reeve in 1874 called it Scalaria nodosa. The type locality for both names was Panama. Both Reeve and Tryon noted that these names were synonyms of EF. gradatum (Sowerby, 1844). Lowe in 1932 described it as Epitonium (Nitidiscala) gaylordianum from Montijo Bay, Panama. Then in 1974 DuShane presented it as Epitonium (Aspersiscala) gradatum (Sowerby, 1844), with both E. subnodosum and E. gaylordianum as synonyms. She also cited Panama as the locality for this species, based on two specimens in her private collection. In July 1977, I received a cou- ple of collections for study and identification, wherein appeared two pairs of Epitonium gradatum from Costa Rica. Thus in No- vember, 1985, I was off to Costa Rica where I managed to collect three nice specimens as well as to see three others, all collected at the high tide line there. In February 1987, on a return trip to Costa Rica, everyone in our group managed to collect at least one specimen, a total take of 39 specimens, all beach col- lected. Though we have not Photos by Pete Bright located a live specimen, we do believe we have located a good source; Costa Rica seems to be a prime locality for this elusive wentletrap. The largest specimen col- lected was 41mm x 13mm with ten plus whorls and sixteen varices per whorl. The number of varices ranged between twelve and eight- een per whorl. References consulted: DuShane, Helen. 1974. The Panamic-Galapagan Epitoniidae. Keen, Myra. 1958, 1971. Seashells of tropical West America. Tryon, G. W., Jr. 1887. Manual of Conchology. VOLUME 15:3 FIGHTING BYNE’S DISEASE by Ted Davies In the June, 1986 AMERICAN CONCHOLOGIST, I offered my views on the cause of shell deterioration in areas with a seasonal hot-humid climate. Even before the issue hit the streets, a few of my friends asked where I dredged up my ‘‘Dew Theory.’’ In a word, the source was my observation of rusty car bodies! This calls for some elaboration. The major cause of car body rust is not winter ice and salt, but oxidative corrosion from the inside out. This applies especially to doors and other hollow body panels which have not been anti-rust treated by the manufacturer. It results when the heated car body cools rapidly after the engine is turned off. Even on a hot, dry day, the air immediately around the car contains a great deal of water vapor, a major product of the car exhaust, and this air is sucked into the cooling panels through drain holes. This situation is aggravated by many misguided drivers who ‘‘oun’’ the motor just before switching it off. Thus cars corrode from oxygenated dew, shells from carbonated dew. The object of this paper is to present methods of improving the immediate environment of shell collections. I hope readers will offer other ideas and perhaps better ways to reduce the problem. The identified sources of shell deterioration and my proposals for reduction of risk are: 1. Woods of the Quercus (oak) genus, and no doubt others as yet not specifically identified. It is ironical that the fathers of modern shell collecting, most of them resident in Western Europe, who established the restrictive and sometimes arbitrary rules for the organization and storage of shell collections, should have sowed the seeds of destruction of their own shells! They were of an elite class, well educated and wealthy. Oak was the wood of prestige, the symbol of accomplishment, thus most Victorian mansions and museums have oak-panelled walls and oak furnishings. If you’re thinking that the specimens brought back to New England by ordinary sailors would have escaped this fate, bear in mind that most of these objects were exposed to the acid fumes of woodburn- ing heaters and open fireplaces typical of the period. Wood etches! Metal rusts! What to do? I favor the use of the many available systems of linking, acrylic-base, plastic drawers, sold under trade names like Lucite, Plexiglass and Perspex. These variable cabinet components are available worldwide. In any specific system, the drawer units have a constant depth, but vary greatly in width and height, based on multiples of a specific factor. Thin separators are available to compartmentalize each drawer, as are nameplates for the front face. They will not solve the long-term “‘dew’’ problem, but neither will they contribute any destructive factors to the atmosphere. 2. All climates in which the hot and wet seasons coincide. This type of shell errosion prompted the previous paper on the subject. The obvious answer is to avoid the nightly deposit of carbonic-acid- containing dew, by use of a dehumidifier. These devices are usualy quite reasonable in cost and available in the areas where this dew ef- fect exists. The only problem is that the built-in switch turns the device on when the air temperature starts to rise, and off before it drops to the minimum, so the cycle will operate several hours earlier than is optimum for our purpose. To overcome this, you may have to bypass this switch and use an ordinary external timer, set to start about 1600 and to run for three or four hours. Of course there are other ways to protect your shells. These all involve coating the shells with a transparent, inactive substance. If this suggestion raises your hackles, please consider your personal reason for spending money and time on your shells. Is it for research purposes, where the shell may suffer some kind of physical of chemical damage? If so, you will surely choose the least perfect and least valuable specimen. If you collect for any other purpose, including study, display and simple pleasure, this is certainly the most direct way to preserve your shells. Actually, the coating of shells was permitted by the nabobs who drew up the original code AMERICAN CONCHOLOGIST PAGE 15 for collectors; they promoted ‘‘a light coating of mineral oil.’’ Percy Morris writes that ‘‘some workers (meaning professionals) use Olive oil’’ which ‘‘becomes rancid — and attracts insects. Never coat your shells with lacquer, varnish or shellac.’’ This latter advice is certainly valid, since these substances tend to chip and darken, and some of the driers used in their preparation would probably attack the shell surface. Of course you can ensure the highest level of permanency and artistic display for a few special prizes in your collection by embed- ding the entire shell in plastic. If you only have a few specimens to embed, it is best to have this done by someone with experience. Of course you must realize that this embedding treatment permanently converts your specimen to an ornament. 3. Storage conditions favorable to the growth of molds and fungi, and exposure to harmful, volatile substances. As suggested in the previous article, these sources of erosion can easily be elim- inated by locating the shell collection as far as possible from the kit- chen and laundry areas, and on the shady side of the house where temperature variations are minimal. Above all, it is important that you keep everything in a reason- able perspective: ninety-five percent of the material in most collec- tions is very common and easily replaceable, and the value of your precious collection in fifty years will rest mainly in the fact that “*this was Grandma’s favorite shell.’’ So take it easy and remember that a hobby is for relaxation and pleasure. 4. Natural fossilization. The mollusk shell consists of micro- scopic hard crystals of calcium carbonate embedded in a matrix of organic tissue deposited in ultra-thin layers by the mantle. Over varying time spans, ranging from decades to millenniums, the hard crystals convert to much softer limestone and the animal material disappears. The process of fossilization is complete. We have learned to delay it, but the end is inevitable. With sadness I think of this relentless deterioration whenever I listen to my best-loved music, Franz Liszt’s ‘‘Les Preludes.’’ At the top of the original score, he wrote, ‘‘Life is but a prelude to death.”’ Photo by Bill Boger A magnificent clump of Vermicularia recta Olsson & Harbison, 1953, from Bill Boger’s fossil collection. It weighs 26 pounds, in- cluding the sand that holds it together. PAGE 16 MEET THE PRESIDENT by Mary Ruth Foglino Our newly elected president, Don Young, has been a member of COA since 1979 and has attended all the conventions since his first in 1980. Don served as chairman of the 1984 convention in St. Petersburg, and co-chaired the publicity committee with Mary Ellen Akers for the 1986 Ft. Lauderdale convention. Don is a charter member of the Suncoast Conchologists Club, for which he currently plans the field trips. He also attends meetings of both the St. Petersburg and the Sarasota Shell Clubs, both within driving range of his Seminole, Florida home. Altogether, Don is a member of fourteen shell clubs in the United States and four overseas. Having taken early retirement in 1977 after a career as a project engineer in avionics ground support with the Air Force for 25 years and with the Navy for eleven, Don moved to Florida. Originally from Lancaster, Pennsylvania, he has travelled to Europe, Africa and Japan, and even lived in Hawaii for two years during World War II. Unfortunately, these trips preceded his collecting days. Don’s interest in conchology began in 1978 when he cut his foot on something sharp in four feet of water at Fort DeSoto, Florida. AMERICAN CONCHOLOGIST VOLUME 15:3 Curiosity impelled him to find the object, the siphonal canal of a live Lightning Whelk. His companions, neither of whom had ever found one, were delighted, so Don dove down and found two more whelks buried in the sandy bottom. This significant day started Don into what has developed into a worldwide collection, separated by families, and housed in about forty display cases and fifty IBM card containers in the shell room of his home. Dorothy Young, Don’s wife since October, 1984 (shortly after*the St. Petersburg convention) enjoys hunting and field collecting, but Don takes over on cleaning and cataloging the shells. Don has won the COA Trophy for his shell show exhibit, ‘“The Adopted Shells,’’ which showed many club emblems and the shells from which they were designed. He re-exhibited these seventeen cases at the St. Petersburg convention. He has also been awarded the Dupont Trophy and the Masters Trophy for a scientific exhibit at the Southwest Florida Conchological Society Shell Show. The COA, Don believes, has something to offer to shell collec- tors of every type and level, no matter where their interests lie. BOARD TALK From Treasurer WALTER SAGE: You will notice the change in the dues reminder that accompanies this issue of AMERICAN CONCHOLOGIST. We have adopted this format in hopes that this sheet will attract your attention and result in speedy payment of 1988 dues (Please refer to my BOARDTALK message in the June issue). I want to repeat here that all those members who joined at ANY time in 1987 will receive all four issues of AMERICAN CONCHOLOGIST for 1987 and are members for the CALENDAR YEAR 1987 — thus you ALL (unless you are among the few who have paid in advance) need to send in your dues for 1988. And the sooner these dues payment are received, the less work there will be for your officers. ’Nuf said!! Thanks to all of you SOUTH FLORIDA members who have sent in your change in ZIP CODE. We would appreciate hearing from the rest of you so we can update our computer files. Correct addresses and zip codes are vital to your receipt of AMERICAN CONCHOLOGIST, because Bulk Mail is seldom forwarded if it goes astray. We have plenty of COA pins available from the Treasurer — $2.50 postage paid. The official COA T-shirts are available in several colors and sizes — $8, and there remain seven of the COA tote bags — $4 each. Please write to Treasurer Walter Sage for details — I’d rather not have to carry all those to Ft. Myers next July. From Shell Show Chairman DON DAN: Preliminary Release of 1988 Shell Show and Meeting Dates: The following list is by no means complete. For those dates listed though, most of them have been contracted for. One of the purposes of releasing the dates this early is to minimize shell shows being planned on the same dates. A more comprehensive listing should be available in the December issue. Jan. 15-17 Naples Shell Show Jan. 22-24 Astronaut Trail Shell Show Jan. 29-31 Greater Miami Shell Show Itsy, So 7 Broward Shell Show Feb. 12-14 Ft. Myers Shell Show (was 3rd week of Jan.) Feb. 19-21 Sarasota Shell Show Feb. 26-28 St. Petersburg Shell Show Mar. 3- 6 Sanibel Shell Fair Mar. 19-20 Treasure Coast Shell Show (New show) Mar. 25-27 Orlando Shell Show Apr. 29-May1 Long Island Shell Show Jun. 19-24 American Malacological Union Annual Meeting Jul aati = 15 Conchologists of America Convention Register Your Record Shells Bob Wagner is busy keeping the STANDARD CATALOG OF SHELLS size records up to date. Write to him about shells you think might be the biggest of their species. He is eager to receive your size listings, so long as the data is complete. When you write, be sure to include the full proper name of the shell, the exact size, measured with calipers, the owner’s name, the date collected or acquired, the locality of collection and who verified the measure- ment. Bob’s address: Bob Wagner, Senior Editor, 19751 S.W. 79th Court, Miami, FL 33189. NOTICE TO RESEARCH SCIENTISTS: I collect extensively, especially in my home of West Florida, also in southeast Florida and the Caribbean. I would be pleased to provide preserved specimens (If I can find them) to researchers who need animal tissue for dissection. I also have species/locality lists for many areas of Florida and the Caribbean. Peggy Williams, c/o 7201 Bradenton Road, Sarasota, FL 34243. VOLUME 15:3 REVISED GUIDELINES FOR THE CONCHOLOGISTS OF AMERICA AWARD by Donald Dan COA Awards Committee Chairman The Conchologists of America Award, consisting of a trophy and a pin, has been established to encourage open participation by shell collectors at shell shows and to stimulate improvements in shell show. This award, based on sound and impartial judging processes, is given at a shell show to a single scientific (vs. artistic) exhibit which best furthers the interest in shells and shell collecting. The COA Award may be given only to a blue ribbon or first prize winner and may not be given to: e an exhibit receiving another major award (i.e. DuPont, Smithsonian, American Museum of Natural History, etc.) at the same show or occasion. e an exhibit which has previously won a COA Award at any show, unless fifty percent or more of the content and for- mat have been changed or added. e a shell dealer, unless the exhibit is made entirely of self- collected shells. e a professional malacologist. There is no limit as to the number of times a person may win the COA Award. The COA Award may be given only at shell shows open to the public, where no restrictions are placed on club or regional affilia- tion of the exhibitors. This award may be given to a shell club for its shell show no more than once a year. It is sent free of charge upon approval of a trophy request. Sponsoring clubs are advised to incorporate the above guidelines in their respective shell show rules and to have them communicated to all prospective exhibitors. All clubs are encouraged to obtain membership in COA. The COA Award Committee Chariman shall be responsible for receiving and processing trophy requests in a timely manner and for overseeing that the above guidelines are adhered to. PLEASE NOTE: Any Shell Show Chairperson who has not received the Trophy Request Form for your upcoming show is invited to contact Donald Dan, COA Trophy Chairperson, at 2620 Lou Anne Court, West Friendship, MD 21794. Telephone: (301) 442-7353. AMERICAN CONCHOLOGIST PAGE 17 3 WORLDWIDE SPECIMEN SHELLS Your ONE STOP Marine & Land Shell Connection Wide Variety of Select Quality Specimens - g ‘ “Knowledgeable & Courteous Service” Write for Free Illustrated List Richard Goldberg / Worldwide Specimen Shells. \ y P.O. Box 137, Fresh Meadows, N.Y., 11365, U.S.A. (718) 357-6467 LEONARD C. HILL 6713 S.W. 113th Place Miami, Florida 33173 (305) 271-0650 QUALITY WORLD WIDE SHELLS FREE LISTS! Florida-Caribbean Specialists BUY - SELL - EXCHANGE The best in Cones, Murex, Miters, Olives & Cypraea NEW CARIBBEAN MOLLUSCAN FAUNAS by Edward J. Petuch A new pictorial atlas comprising 28 plates, of new, rare and seldom-seen Caribbean molluscs of most of the major popular families. Included are: SPECIMEN @ 107 new species described for the first time eb U eo E ee RADE @ Discussions and illustrations of long-lost Caribbean species, such as Cypraea aubryana, Conus commodus, Conus sphacelatus, Conus sanguineus, Conus hedgesi, and others. ¢ Worldwide Specimen Shells e Free Price List with Size & Grade e Satisfaction Guaranteed or Money Refunded e Dedicated to Service, Integrity and Reliability ‘te ¥ : aa, ® Over 120 rare species illustrated, often for the first 1094 Calle Empinado ¢ Novato, California 94947 time since their original descriptions in the 1800’s. i 415) 382-1126 : : : ‘ Sel) SU Oa A must for marine biologists, Caribbean molluscan spe- cialists, and collectors of worldwide Conidae, Cyp- raeidae, Muricidae, and Olividae. Advertising in the Bulletin is presented as a service to our membership, but does not automatically imply Bulletin endorsement of the advertisers. Advertising space is available at the rate of $75.00 for a half page; yearly rate (4X): $275.00; quarter page: $50.00; yearly rate: $175.00; eighth page: $35.00; yearly rate: $115.00; minimum ad (1’’): $20.00; yearly rate: $75.00. Camera-ready copy only will be accepted at this rate. (except for the 1”’ minimum size). There will be an additional charge for halftones and non- Large format (18.5 x 11 inches), 29 B/W plates, 168 pages (soft cover). US$ 38.50 (Prepaid), plus $ 2.50 postage and handling. Order from: camera ready copy. Copy may be changed for any issue. Deadlines are month prior to publication months (ie., by January 31st for the March Bulletin, etc.) Send advertising copy and fees to The Editor, 1222 Holsworth Lane, Louisville, KY 40222. Coastal Education & Research Foundation /CERF] P.O. Box 8068 Charlottesville, VA 22906, USA PAGE 18 AMERICAN CONCHOLOGIST Finally! A complete guide to Olives. ATLAS OF THE LIVING OLIVE SHELLS OF THE WORLD by E. J. Petuch and D. M. Sargent All described species, subspecies and color forms (over 300) are illustrated in full color. Zoogeographic review with 32 maps showing species distributions worldwide for accurate identification. New systematics recognizing 19 subgeneric groupings—10 described for the first time! A valuable tool for shell professionals and amateurs. Order yours today, at the special introductory price of only US$68.50 plus $2.50 postage and handling. Coastal Education & Research Foundation [CERF] Post Office Box 8068 Charlottesville, VA 22906 Dealer inquiries welcome. la a VOLUME 15:3 DOV PELED First Source and Specialist for Red Sea Shells Very large choice, over 1300 specimens ap. World wide specimens. Exchange offers welcome. New Price List on request. 1, Zvolon St., K. Tivon, 36000 ISRAEL SHELLS « CABINETS « BAGS & BOXES « BOOKS THE SHELL STORE 440 - 75th Avenue St. Petersburg Beach, FL 33706 Between Blind Pass Road and Gulf Boulevard Phone 360-0586 SHELLS — OUR BUSINESS AND OUR PLEASURE ROBERTWEPE Conus spurius atlanticus BEnRIAEIRE Send $1.00 (Applied to your first order) and receive a COMPUTER PRINTOUT OF OVER 800 LOTS OF SPECIMEN SHELLS. (Most families represented.) House of Quality and Service “RICHARD M. KURZ. INC. TW 1575 NORTH 118th STREET WAUWATOSA, WI 53226 U.S.A. Dealer in Fine and Rare Specimen Shells of Superior Quality The very best shells, at the very best prices WRITE FOR FREE PRICE LIST SHELLS BOUGHT, SOLD AND TRADED LARGEST MAIL ORDER SEASHELL DEALER IN THE U.S.A. VOLUME 15:3 AMERICAN CONCHOLOGIST PAGE 19 SHELL CLUB TOURS Alta Van Landingham P.O. Box 542, Hampstead, NC 28443 U.S.A. (919) 686-7537 Let’s Go Shelling!! PALAU, MICRONESIA Jan. 16-26, 1988 Price of $2995 includes round trip airfare from San Francisco to Palau. Also included: 8 nights at the deluxe Palau Pacific Resort, breakfast and dinner each day, boat trips to the Rock Islands, sightseeing, and some nightly entertainment. Find up to 200 different species, from common to rare. EGYPT AND THE RED SEA May, 1988 Price of $2900 includes airfare from New York to Cairo, all transportation while in Egypt, deluxe hotels, 2 meals daily, boat trips to many islands for shelling, sightseeing — Pyramids, the Sphinx, the Cairo Museum, bus trips to different shelling locations up and down the coast. Shopping trips in Cairo and Hurghada. My trips are geared for SHELLING! In any manner you choose, beach walking, snorkeling, diving — it is all available. Prices are approximate at this time, although | do not expect much change. Trips are limited to 15 people, most of these shellers coming from the many shell clubs around the country. Please write for full details. Sampotigg _— Tarke marmorates © & eee , SHELLS “\e 4 on : 4/2 STAMPS . REPUBLIC of MALDIVES REPUBLIC of MALDIVES A Beautiful Addition... to your Shell Collection! from AITUTAKI to ZAMBIA CONUS to MUREX We’re able to fill your needs - send us your want list! Price list available on request See You at COA Jack and Myrna Golden * GOLDEN PHILATELICS * Post Office Box 484, Cedarhurst, NY 11516 (516) 791-1804 ASDA COA LISC IT'S EASY TO SAY CREPIDULA! A Phonetic Guide to Pronunciation of the Scientific Names of SEA SHELLS and a Glossary of Terms Frequently Used in Malacology by Jean M. Cate and Selma Raskin (kreh PID’ yu uh) $19.95 EACH FOR POSTAGE & HANDLING: ADD $1.50 SURFACE MAIL $4.50 AIR MAIL & FOREIGN 6% TAX IN CALIFORNIA PRETTY PENNY PRESS, INC. P. O. BOX 3890 SANTA MONICA CALIFORNIA 90403 PHILLIP W. CLOVER World Wide since 1960 Specializing ww in Latiaxis, Murex, Morums, Marginella Mitra, Conus, Cypraea, Voluta, Cancellaria, Typhis, Trophons, and out of print Sea Shell Books. Phone # 707-996-6960 Write for Free Price Lists. P.O. Box 83 - Glen Ellen - Calif. 95442 Dealer in Sea Shells PAGE 20 AMERICAN CONCHOLOGIST Displays at Most Shell Shows Donald Dan Selected Specimen Shells 2620 Lou Anne Court W. Friendship, MD 21794 by appointment - (301) 489-7353 Inquiries welcome - no list EY SHELLS IN ART e SHELL STATIONERY: Letterheads, Envelopes, Aerograms, Name cards SAILOR’S VALENTINES AND WOOD FRAMES SHELL ANIMAL DESIGNS WATER COLOR SHELL PICTURES HERALDRY DESIGNS WITH SHELLS CLUB BADGES WITH SHELL DESIGNS OTHER SHELL-RELATED ART Write for a quotation on your particular interest to: T. C. LAN P.O. BOX 34-35, TAIPEI, TAIWAN ~The Largest Specimen Deal oe. ORDER BY MAIL: P.O. box 68 Shalimar, Florida USA 6257/2 Phone: (904) 244-5646 “Top Rated in Recently Published “Guide” To U.S. Mail Order Shell Dealers *Specializing in Personalized Service SAY IT RIGHT! HOW TO PRONOUNCE | THE SCIENTIFIC NAMES OF SEASHELLS OF NORTH AMERICA R. Tucker Abbott 35 minutes in stero tape of the custom- ary way author R. Tucker Abbott and other professional mollusk experts pro- nounce 1,250 Latin names of seashells from United States and Canada, as well as many technical and anatomical terms, family names, and foreign scien- tific authors. Practice the pronuncia- tions used by malacologists at Har- vard, the Smithsonian Institution and other leading museum centers. Based on the 1986 revised edition of SEASHELLS OF NORTH AMERICA published by Golden Press. *Free Monthly Price List PRONOUNCING THE SCIENTIFIC NAMES OF mete @GOLDEN’ Nel Mel dey ys 7 ele! ] VOLUME 15:3 ORDER NOW: $7.90 plus $2.10 mailing AMERICAN MALACOLOGISTS P.O. Box 1192 Burlington, Mass. 01803 U.S.A. “Offering High Quality Shells at Reasonable Prices (the word “rare” need not mean -‘expensive”!) “Marine Land and Fresh Water Fossils “Buy Sell Trade or VISIT OUR SHOP “Shells N’ Things” 142 Miracle Strip Plewy. Fr. Walron Beach, FL U.S.A. 32548 Phone: (904) 244-5646 We ane not the oldest non the largest, but we strive to be The Best! z ag t = 5 " : fe Ley } \ Wy Dm y | § i pax se ae f 3 4 % Le ae aa ic Uj pigs : Pe} aa Sone, ASS ‘fae Cad CHAO, exes, fps = risid £29 MUSEUM LIBRARY AMERICAN CONCHOLOGIST | QUARTERLY BULLETIN OF THE CONCHOLOGISTS OF AMERICA, INC. | VOL. 15, NO. 4 DECEMBER 1987 eee —-— -———4 A CONCHOLOGISTS A Collective Devotion To Advancing- Conchology. In 1972, a group of shell collectors saw the need for a national organization devoted to the interests of shell collectors — for amateur collectors interested in the beauty of shells, their scientific aspects and the collecting and preservation of mollusks. The membership includes novices, as well as advanced collectors, scientists and shell dealers from around the country and world. An annual convention is held each year in a dif- ferent part of the country. OFFICERS President: Donald J. Young 11690 Parkview Lane, Seminole, FL 34642 Vice-President: Alan Gettleman 4045 Central Lane, Granite City, IL 62040-3032 Treasurer: Walter E. Sage, III P.O. Box 8105, Saddle Brook, New Jersey 07662 Secretary: Mary Ellen Akers 1244 Edenville Ave., Clearwater, Florida 34624 Trophy Chairman: Donald Dan 2620 Lou Anne Court, W. Friendship, Maryland 21794 AMERICAN CONCHOLOGIST Editor: Lynn Scheu 1222 Holsworth Lane, Louisville, Kentucky 40222 Associate Editor: Margarette Perkins 2121 Dogoon Drive, Louisville, Kentucky 40223 Art Director: John Timmerman 79 Knickerbocker Drive, Belle Mead, NJ 08502 Advertising Manager: Walter Sage P.O. Box 8105, Saddle Brook, NJ 07662 EDITORIAL BOARD: R. Tucker Abbott Donald Dan Charles Glass AMERICAN CONCHOLOGIST, an official publication of the Conchologists of America, Inc., is issued free to members. Opinions expressed in signed articles are opi- nions of the authors, and not necessarily those of Conchologists of America. It is published quarterly in March, June, September and December by Beechmont Press, Louisville, KY. Postmaster: send address changes to the Editor. Articles in AMERICAN CONCHOLOGIST are not copyrighted; we welcome republi- cation, with proper credit. Its editors solicit comment, letters and articles of interest to shell collectors, subject to editing. All correspondence should be addressed to the Editor. MEMBERSHIP Memberships run for the calendar year, January through December. Late member- ships shall be retroactive to January. INDIVIDUAL (per year) $10.00; FAMILY & CLUB (receiving one AMERICAN CONCHOLOGIST) $12.50; OVERSEAS (Air Mail Postage) $20.00. New members send check or money order to the MEMBERSHIP CHAIRPERSON Bobbie Houchin, 2644 Kings Highway, Louisville, KY 40205. Renewals are sent to the TREASURER. Back issues are available from Mrs. Houchin @ $2.50 each. Richard Goldberg Walter Sage Cover: A watercolor illustration by John Timmerman of Muricopsis sunderlandi Petuch, 1987, drawn from a 21mm specimen in the collection of Kevan Sunderland. The shell was taken in 10 meters under coral rubble off Cay Sal, Cay Sal Bank, Bahamas, 1982. PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE “*Please get well, quick, quick, quick . . .”’ is what we all wish for Phyllis Pipher. Due to her recent ill-health, the Piphers have reluc- tantly had to resign as our membership chairpeople. On behalf of all COA members, I would like to thank Phyl and Bernie for the seven years of dedicated service in building up our membership and for the year each served as COA Vice President. We salute you for a job well done. And we welcome our new Membership Chairman, Bobbie Houchin, also the treasurer and COA Local Club Representative for the Louisville Conchological Society, Louisville, Kentucky. Have you paid your 1988 dues yet? Your 1987 membership ex- pires December 31. Renew early to help us to avoid the expense of sending out reminders. The money you help us save will support a bigger and better publication and help us fund our very special grant award program for molluscan research, scholarship and publications. Also, your early dues payment will facilitate the publication for you of an up-to-date membership roster to be distributed to all COA members in March. 1988. And have you done your part in helping COA over the 800 Mem- bership Hurdle? Recruit a member, just one member and you’ll help COA increase in size and effectiveness. More and better publications will be the result, more benefits to members, more funds for the Grant Awards program, more fun at the conventions. Some of our members are doing a great job of recruitment. Alta Van Landingham, COA Club Rep for the North Carolina Shell Club, set up a COA table at her club’s shell show in October and demonstrated that there are many shellers who haven’t heard of COA. She expounded on the benefits and pleasures of membership and obligingly on-the-spot-collected COA dues for six new COA members! Her secret? It’s no secret! Make personal contact. Tell them about us! And let’s go over that 800 membership hurdle! Wishing you joyous holidays and happiness in the new year! Shellingly, Don Peggy Williams, win- ner of the COA Tro- phy at the 1987 Jack- sonville Shell Show, for her exhibit, ‘“From Sea to Shining Sea.’’ NEW U.S. SHELL STAMP UNCOVERED The keen-eyed Abbotts, COA members and conchophilatelists, unexpectedly spotted a familiar object on the sea bottom in the 22-cent American Lobster postage stamp, recently issued in the 1987 American Wildlife series. Was it aclam, a mussel or just a rock? Tucker phoned the artist, Charles L. ‘‘Chuck’’ Ripper of Huntington, West Virginia. ‘‘I used reference material from an article,’’ he explained, ‘‘in the April 1973 issue of the National Geographic.’’ Opening a fold-out photograph by David Doubilet on page 471, in Luis Marden’s arti- cle, ‘‘The American Lobster, Delectable Cannibal.’’ Cecelia and Tucker were at once able to identify the mysterious bivalve as a Northern Horse Mussel, Modiolus modiolus (Linné, 1758). The scene was photographed off Gloucester, Mass. This is the only mollusk to appear among the 50 new wildlife sub- jects which include 31 mammals, 13 birds, one turtle, four insects and now the infamous bivalvian lobster. It is the sixth U.S. postage stamp to bear a mollusk, the second with a New England mollusk species, and only the second filibranch lamellibranch, as if the U.S. Postal Service will know what that is — (R.T.A.) AMERICAN CONCHOLOGIST does not knowingly carry original descriptions of species. We do not wish to be cited as an authority for new taxa. VOLUME 15(4) AMERICAN CONCHOLOGIST PAGE 3 Photos by Kevan Sunderland and Carl Sahlberg DEEPWATER REEF FAUNA from left: Conus cardinalis, 25mm, Bimini; conus patae, 23mm, Cay Sal; Conus havanensis, 17mm, and Conus arangoi, 32mm, both from Cay Sal; Conus abbotti, 36mm, Eleuthera. Muricopsis sunderlandi Petuch, 1987 by Kevan Sunderland In 1979, during dive trips to Cay Sal and the outlying regions, I collected the only known specimens of an interesting Muricopsis in deep water in heavy coral areas. Upon finding the shell I was sure it was unlike any other Caribbean Muricopsis known at that time, in- cluding Muricopsis huberti Radwin & D’Attilio, 1976, from the lower Caribbean and Muricopsis oxytatus (M. Smith, 1938), found throughout the Caribbean Province. Moreover, the little Muricopsis has a very interesting habitat. At this time, it has only been collected in a small area of the Cay Sal Bank region of the Bahamas. The species seems to prefer water deeper than 60 feet, and as deep as 140 feet. It is a member of a poorly known deeper water reef fauna that includes such species as Chlamys multisquamata (Dunker, 1864) in the northern Caribbean;* Conus patae Abbott, 1971; Vexillum zythochoa Melvill, 1888; Turbo cailletii Fischer & Bernardi, 1856; Conus havanensis Aguayo & Farfante, 1947; a northern Caribbean variety of Conus cardinalis Hwass, 1792 and a daucus-like cone described as Conus arangoi Sarasua, 1977, that is highly coronated and bright red in color with beautiful black flammules. One can only imagine what other new and exotic species might live deep in the reef. Occasionally, a hermit crab might carry a shell on its back into the daylight of the recent coral formations. Other- wise this habitat and its fauna are wholly inaccesible, beyond the Muricopsis sunderlandi, 23mm, and a lemon yellow Chlamys mul- tisquamata, both from Cay Sal, Bahamas. rays of light that pierce the deep coral holes of most Caribbean reef structures. Still, it is amazing that so beautiful a shell could have been overlooked for so long. Muricopsis sunderlandi surely would have come to light sooner if it had lived in a habitat where waves could wash it out during storms, or if it lived under easily accessible rocks like its more common cousins. *Chlamys multisquamata is not generally a shallow water shell in the northern Carib- bean, although in the southern Caribbean, it has been collected in as little as 2 to 3 feet of water. DIVERS’ MECCA: THE BAY ISLANDS OF HONDURAS Three well-known collectors and divers report on their ex- periences in the exciting and relatively-unexplored waters of this group of islands in the Bay of Honduras, finding molluscan forms and species new to science. DIVING THE GRASS BEDS by Kevan Sunderland Pick one place in the world, check with everyone you know, from museum people to private collectors, plan your trip with care, and you still can’t guarantee finding shells that will be interesting additions to your collection, especially if you already have a large collection of Caribbean and Western Atlantic gastropods, as my wife, Linda and I do. But if you’re addicted to collecting as I am, you keep trying. In April, two years ago, a group of shell collectors decided to col- lect in an area that, at this point was relatively unexplored: the Bay Islands of Honduras. When Carl Sahlberg, Wayne Harland, Gene Everson and I stepped off the plane, we had no idea what we would find. The Bay Islands are located off the Caribbean coast of Honduras and are made up of four island groups: Utila, Cayos Cochinos, Guanaja and Roatan. The waters around the island groups contain all the habitats typical to the Caribbean Islands. The area is rich in reefs; they range from shallow water patch reefs to coral walls that start in five feet of water, fifty feet offshore, and stair-step their way down 500 feet to the bottom. Also, around these islands are vast areas of turtle grass in water twenty to eighty feet deep. And there are miles of brackish water mangrove habitats. We immediately found collecting on the tops of the reef flats to be very poor because of the destruction of the reef flats, both by hurricanes and by the islanders. Due to high concentration of peo- ple in some areas and lack of usable land, the natives have gone out in their dugout canoes and removed the large coral rocks from the reef top to build new land for more houses in areas that were formerly coastal swamps. Searching the tops of the reef in dead areas proved to be useless without these ‘‘turnable’’ rocks. That left us three areas to collect: the live coral areas, the reef walls, and the expansive areas of deepwater turtle grass and sand that ring the islands. Most collectors who dive reef areas realize that PAGE 4 AMERICAN CONCHOLOGIST VOLUME 15(4 Photo by Kevan Sunderland Conus sunderlandi, Petuch, 1985; 40mm. productive collecting in live coral areas is almost impossible unless it is done at night. We tried this and found an amazing variety of mollusks that are not often seen because of their cryptic, deep coral habitat and the nocturnal habits of the species found there. These species included Conus granulatus, Linné, 1758, Conus cardinalis Hwass in Bruguieére, 1792, Conus eversoni Petuch, 1987, a new species of Arene, Anachis sunderlandi Petuch, 1987 and other new or unusual species of gastropods. With such remarkable success, why did we stop collecting the reef and move on to grass beds? The key to successful collecting in any area of the world is being able to find habitats that certain families seem to prefer. Although from one area of the world to the next the species may be different, the habitats are generally the same. Having read reports from other collectors who had done well with the shrimpers and lobster fishermen off the coast of Honduras and Nicaragua, we knew that if we found the right habitat and conditions in turtle grass flats, we would be surprised and rewarded. Here, with all these vast areas of sand and grass, was our chance. So why not just go out and look in the turtle grass? It’s not quite that simple. Most turtle grass species are nocturnal, and diving for them in the daytime is like looking for a needle in a rippling, green haystack. So you must plan a night dive. But a random night dive may not be successful either. You must decide what type of sand to look in. Type of sand? Not so strange as it sounds. Conus jaspideus Gmelin, 1791 and related cone species like very fine grained, almost muddy sand. Other cones, among them the common Florida species, Conus flavescens Sowerby, 1834 like a larger grain, a sand that doesn’t leave a sand plume when you run your hand through it. The very desirable Conus cedonulli Linné, 1767 complex falls into this group. They prefer much cleaner water, and like most other species of Conus, will not tolerate poor water conditions. They demand water that is not heavy in silt, either from mud or from poor water quality. Thus we wanted to avoid heavily grassed areas, a sign of muddy conditions and thus a poor cone habitat. We also knew that in deep water off Nicaragua, the lobster fishermen and shrimpers had gotten interesting volutes and two specimens of a strange new Cerithioclava — a first for this genus in the Caribbean. The cerith was collected dead by the shrimpers, and was presumed by some to be a fossil that had been preserved in a mudbank somewhere offshore. We thought it might live in this habitat as well, and spent two days looking for an area that fit its known requirements. After locating by daylight several potentially productive areas, we decided it was time to attempt a night dive. The depth of the site we chose ranged from 30-80 feet and was made up of sand with scattered beds of turtle grass. It was perfect. And what would we find? Almost at once we were discovering strange gastropods: two new species of Conus, and three named cones — C. daucus Hwass, in Bruguiere, 1792, C. mindanus Hwass, in Bruguiére, 1792 and C. Spurius Gmelin, 1791. We also collected a beautiful ‘‘demarcoi’’ type volute that looked more like Voluta musica than other volutes that have been collected along the coasts of Honduras and Photo by Wayne Harland Conus harlandi, Petuch, 1985; 34mm; paratypes. Nicaragua. The volute appeared almost to bridge the gap between the two species and added new confusion to a poorly understood group. But the cones were just a small part of this interesting habitat. In the sand were strange and beautiful marginellas that could only be seen by moving aside the blades of grass. The species was at first thought to be Marginella roosevelti Bartsch and Rehder, 1939. But the Honduran marginella is a much slimmer shell, and is named Marginella oblonga Swainson, 1829, a very appropriate name. While moving the blades of turtle grass to look for the marginellas, we discovered Vexillum arestum Rehder, 1943. We usually locate V. arestum in the daytime by running our hands through the sand. It was amazing to see all these unusual miters out and about. They came in all colors, from brown-banded to beautiful orange-banded specimens. In collecting grass and sand habitats one soon finds that one area is quickly and easily covered, so we began drift divings with the boats following us on our compass heading, carefully watching the depth as it went from 80 to 60 to 20 feet and then deeper again. In covering such a large area — sometimes over a mile on one SCUBA tank — we saw many of the habitats we’ve mentioned above. It was like a supermarket, going from heavy turtle grass to an open area with totally different species. Voluta sunderlandi was one of the few species that didn’t seem to care what its habitat was. It appeared on all bottom types. Also scattered in the grass habitat were Cymatium femorale (Linné, 1758) and C. caribbaeum Clench & Turner, 1957. But by far the most interesting and exciting species to appear as we swam across the turtle grass and sand were the Conus. As we ap- proached the sandy areas, we soon began to go into ‘‘cone mode’”’ and get tunnel vision. We just never knew what we would see next and we tried to make our tanks last as long as possible to keep the dives from ending. All this novelty would just begin to seem familiar and predictable and we would expect to see certain species as we swam, when up would pop surprises. For example, we really did not expect to see a 3% inch Cerithioclava, and had wondered if it was really Carib- bean. But while diving in about 40 feet of water, I had the shock of my life! After moving from heavy turtle grass to a sand habitat, I began looking for cones, and swam into an area of small rock rub- ble over sand. Here were interesting trails that looked as if sticks had been dragged through the substrate. At the end of each trail were live Certhioclava garciai Houbrick, 1980! An amazing shell and icing on the cake of a once-in-a-lifetime trip. Just imagine div- ing in an area where everything you find is either rare or new to science! Conus sunderlandi Petuch, 1987 This species coexists with the more abundant Conus harlandi Petuch, 1987 in the sand and grass habitats of the Bay Islands. It shows a preference for more heavily covered turtle grass bottom than C. harlandi and requires clean water and gritty sand. C. sunderlandi was collected with C. spurius, which in this area ap- VOLUME 15(4 Photo by Kevan Sunderland . @ Conus granulatus, Linne, 1758; 45mm. pears to grow no larger than about 30mm, making C. sunderlandi at up to 40mm the largest cone species in the habitat. The animals of the two species are different — C. spurius is a light-colored animal with a dark spotted siphon, and is much more active than C. sunderlandi. The pink animal of C. sunderlandi has a small, oval operculum shaped more like that of C. daucus Hwass, in Bruguiere, 1792 while C. spurius has a long, thin operculum. C. spurius has a curved shoulder, while that of C. sunderlandi is much sharper and more angled, similar to that of C. villepinii Fischer & Bernardi, 1857, a species found throughout the Caribbean and C. clerii Reeve, 1844 of Brazil. The siphonal canal is also much thinner than C. spurius, and the latter is a much heavier structured shell. The juveniles of both species in this area maintain the same characteristics as the adults. Also, c. spurius appeared to be perhaps a hundred times more common that C. sunderlandi; only eight specimens of C. sunderlandi were collected during ten days of heavy diving in their turtle grass habitat. Cerithioclava garciai Houbrick, 1985 In one grass-and-sand area, we found the first living specimens of Cerithioclava garciai. The habitat had never been described before, other than what Dr. Houbrick learned from the fishermen who collected the dead type specimens and from facts known about Pacific representatives of this genus. Photo by Kevan Sunderland Turbo cailletii, Fischer & Bernardi, 1857, 25mm. AMERICAN CONCHOLOGIST PAGE 5 We found the cerith in 35-40 feet of water at night in very rocky, almost gravel bottom that covered brownish sand tinted by the algae that was growing in it. The species was found only in small rock-covered sand areas where it lives in very isolated colonies. The rock cover over the sand was no larger than 50 cent pieces, and was made up of both coral and broken bivalves. The cerith is a bur- rower, and lies hidden during the day. FINDING A NEW SPECIES by Wayne Harland As a scuba diver and shell collector, I had the ultimate experience recently: I found a species new to science. In April of 1986, I organized a shelling trip to Utila, one of the lesser known islands in the Bay of Honduras. Its sister islands, Roatan and Guanaja, are much more popular and certainly more developed for tourists. It was this lack of development, and consequently its relatively un- touched habitats which attracted us initially. Recent discoveries around Roatan were testament to the richness of the molluscan fauna there, and it seemed logical that Utila, lying eighteen miles west, would be just as productive. When we arrived on the island, we first contacted local fishermen, both commercial hook-and-liners and shrimpers, as to the local habitat. We were impressed by the varieties of habitat available around an island less than ten miles long. It contains brackish water lagoons, shallow grass flats, extensive ‘‘ironstone’’ shorelines, atoll-like barrier reefs, and extensive wall-like coral for- mations. Here, on one small island, lie all the basic molluscan habitats! We at first explored the habitat areas looking for clues as to the inhabitants. Similarities to other island habitats, crabbed specimens, and broken shells are all pieces of the discovery puzzle which must be taken into account. Photos by Kevan Sunderland Left: Cerithioclava garciai, Houbrick, 1985; 75-80mm. Right: Voluta sunderlandi, Petuch, 1985, 55mm; paratype. The first habitat we selected for further exploration was the moderate depth, coarse sand-and-grass areas adjacent to a small rocky cay which had many broken shells around it. During daylight hours, we fanned these sandy areas looking for the sand-dwelling species normally associated with this habitat. We found the species we expected to find in such a habitat — Conus spurius Gmelin, 1791, Conus jaspideus Gmelin, 1791, Conus mindanus, Hwass in Bruguiere, 1792, and a shallow water form of Voluta demarcoi Olsson, 1965. It was while fanning sand that the first new species appeared. It was a cone. Even at first glance it looked like no other cone that I PAGE 6 AMERICAN CONCHOLOGIST VOLUME 15(4) have ever collected. Its base color was a creamy tan-white, overlaid with a mottled, dark-brown net-like pattern. I could scarcely wait to show it to my diving companions! I motioned to my nearest dive buddies, Kevan Sunderland and Carl Sahlberg, to show them my new find. Kevan almost spit out his regulator! We surfaced to discuss how to look for more, and then we collected three addi- tional specimens of the mystery species. Returning to the hotel, we formulated a plan to return at night to the same area, since we assumed that these sand dwellers, like other cones, would be out and about, feeding actively after dark. We then examined the results of our collection that day. Carl had a very dead specimen of a shell that also looked very unfamiliar. Could this be another mystery species? The shell basically looked like a Conus spurius but had a sharply angled shoulder, a narrower aperture, and what looked like a very unusual color pattern, even though the specimen was badly faded. Since we did not know what the species were, we immediately coined the names ‘‘Conus har- landi’’ for the first species and ‘‘Conus sunderlandi’’ for the sec- ond. We returned to the collecting area that night and found four- teen specimens of ‘‘Conus harlandi’’ and four specimens of ‘‘conus sunderlandi,’’ all live. This was a trip that shell collectors fantasize about! Conus harlandi is medium-sized by Caribbean standards, with an average size of 25-28mm; sub-adults are in the 15-20mm range; the largest specimen obtained to date is 38mm. In the original descrip- tion in Dr. Petuch’s book, New Caribbean Molluscan Faunas, C. harlandi is described as having a ‘‘low, almost flattened’’ spire. This is true for the holotype, but based on the type lot and subse- quent collections, the spire height is more variable. Additionally, some specimens do exhibit weak coronations in the spire whorls, which disappear as the shell matures. Disappearing coronations are common among the shells of the Conus cedonulli Linné, 1767 complex, and C. harlandi is no exception to its more southern cousins. The closest relative to C. harlandi is C. granarius Kiener, 1848. C. granarius, however, is a wider shell in proportion to shell length, has more pronounced coronations in the spire, and has rows of well-developed pustulations throughout the body whorl; in C. harlandi, some specimens have these pustulations, but they are weak and confined to the anterior portion of the shell. In the excellent review of the C. cedonulli complex in the Revue Suisse de Zoologie (October, 1985), Danker Vink and Rudo von Cosel observe that the northeastern range of the complex is Colombia. The Bay Islands of Honduras represent a 1000 nautical mile range extension for the complex. C. granarius is also characterized by having a variable background color, while that ofC. harlandi has been uniformly white. Photo Bs Kevan Sunderland Vexillum histrio, Reeve, 1844; 15-20mm. While C. harlandi’s shell pattern is reddish-brown to chestnut, the live animal is bright red and is quite mobile. We did not observe the feeding habits, nor were any egg cases found, so precise facts relative to breeding or predation are left to speculation. The oper- culum is relatively small in comparison to shell size, elliptical in shape, thin and relatively transparent. The shell prefers coarse, relatively clean sandy bottoms surrounded by or near grass beds. We found them near both ‘‘turtle grass’’ and ‘‘eel grass,’’ so there seems to be no preference. However, most all live specimens were in relatively open sand, not in amongst the dense grass. Although Conus harlandi appreared to be one of the most abundant cones in the habitat, the faunal area was very rich in other species as well. Some of the commonly found gastropods were: Conus spurius, C. Jaspideus, C. mindanus form duvali Bernardi, 1862, Falsilyria sunderlandi Petuch, 1987, Marginella oblonga Sowerby, 1846, M. guttata (Dillwyn, 1817), Cerithioclava garciai Houbrick, 1985; Vex- illum arestum Rehder, 1943; V. hendersoni (Dall, 1927) and Murex rubidus F. C. Baker, 1897. It is exhilarating, with all the exploration done in the Caribbean, that new species such as these can be found in 25-30 feet of water by amateur collectors. It certainly points the way for additional research and detailed scientific study of some of these lesser- explored Caribbean areas. I, for one, will continue to look for these ‘‘underexplored’’ areas, in hopes of finding out if another bonanza like Utila exists. Left: Spire, Conus harlandi. Right: Conus eversoni. Conus eversoni Petuch, 1987 by Gene Everson During our first two collecting trips to Utila, Honduras, in April and November, 1986, we found a small, unnamed cone shell. It was not surprising that this shell had not been named before. It is too small to be eaten, unlike Strombus gigas and Cittarium pica, and it is too small and lackluster, unlike Conus granulatus, to offer to tourists, so the natives would have had no interest even if they had noticed it. Furthermore, its small size, about 1 inch, makes it hard to see, even if you are looking for it. And finally, it would take a serious collector to know that it was unnamed, and Utila has had a shortage of serious collectors, unlike her sister island, Roatan, just twenty-five miles away. But the main reason for its obscurity is its cryptic habitat. Conus eversoni hides deep in the coral reefs by day and only ventures out after dark to cling to the sides of large coral formations. Although its 20’ depth is not forbidding, we seemed to have been the only col- lectors to have dived Utila by night. This shell is so hard to find that it was not until my third trip, in April, 1987, that I found one. One reason it was named for me may be unique: the other three divers already had a cone species named for them! Wayne Harland, Carl Sahlberg and Kevan Sunderland had each found one or two specimens on our first two trips, but at that time thought it might be a young Conus daucus or C. at- tenuatus. Another collector, Bob Pace, had found one on Guanaja, another island in the Bay of Honduras, but did not follow up on it. Coincidentally, he also has had a cone species named in his honor. I did not know what the cone was, but I was sure of what it was not. So, it was shown to Dr. Edward J. Petuch, who described it in April, 1987 in New Caribbean Molluscan Faunas, page 74, plate 10, figures 12, 13 and 14. VOLUME 15(4 OLIVER...ALL T HAVE IS CRAB UNDER GLASS. WATCHING YOU WATCHING ME by Pam Scott One of the benefits of living along the coast of southwest Florida is having the opportunity of observing the prolific marine life here in its natural state. There are few creatures, however, that are as uniquely fascinating as the octopi that sometimes turn up on the beach following a major storm or are occasionally found living in shallow waters. My husband and [I still chuckle over our experiences with one of these little devils that we inadvertently brought home one winter afternoon. We found him by accident while gathering tiny popcorn and grass shrimp in San Carlos Bay off Sanibel as food for several of the inhabitants of our small Gulf water aquarium. I had pulled an ‘‘empty’’ Lightning Whelk shell out of the water and put it into our bucket as a hideout for the various creatures we kept in our tank. On the drive home my husband happened to glance over at the bucket on the floor of our car and, dropping his jaw, swerved the car enough to splash water on my feet. ‘‘Well, I’ll be damned, Pam!’’ he announced, ‘‘we’ve got an octopus in there!”’ Sure enough, there was a little octopus, some 4’’ long, stem to stern, climbing idly along the edge of the pail. When we got home, we immediately put him in our tank along with the empty whelk, and contemplated a name for him, deciding finally on ‘‘Oliver.”’ Oliver lived with us in apparent comfort for about two months, and to our knowledge, never once attempted to leave the tank, as we understand most captive octopi do. Oliver was a shy creature who would make a dash for his whelk shell whenever he saw us approach. If we were to look at him for more than a few moments, he would snake out one of his tentacles to grab a coquina shell or a bit of broken clam shell and seal himself off, save for a tiny opening through which he’d glare at us suspiciously. His eyes were cat-like — round and rich golden, the pupil an angled slit. His eyes shut when he slept. Oliver ate like a pig and seemed to be interested only in live food — coquinas, a beautiful blue-eyed calico scallop we had been en- joying, hermits and other small crabs we kept in the tank. He would reach out a tentacle and pull his intended meal into his shell; within thirty seconds, the bits he didn’t like shot out like bullets. After the first two nights with us, Oliver had narrowed the aquarium population to himself and three tiny puffer fish wise enough to stay near the surface. I was soon making daily trips to the bay to hunt small crabs for him — no mean feat in the chilly February water. Oliver held us totally enthralled — we enjoyed watching him hunt and explore at night, but we were afraid he would wander outside the tank and die. To avoid that, we had to keep him content with enough to eat. If his daily ration of crabs was not there when he wanted them, Oliver would literally turn red with rage and make a terrible fuss, pumping his small body rapidly up and down as if doing push-ups. One day he even hid from us. AMERICAN CONCHOLOGIST PAGE7 We looked everywhere for him — in the tank, outside the tank, under the furniture . . . we even looked suspiciously to our dog. But the following morning, there was Oliver, back in his shell, looking smug. We still do not know where he had been. It got to be too much, eventually, to keep up with him, so we took Oliver and his whelk shell to a secluded bay and hid him among the sea grasses to live out his life on his own. We know that he is better off in his own environment, tending to his own needs, but we miss that little octopus at times. He was fun to have around! And sometimes I wonder if he misses us too. Photo by Peggy Williams Bailya parva from Cayos Cochinos, Honduras. ON THE CARIBBEAN SHELL, Bailya parva by Peggy Williams Using Abbott’s American Seashells or Warmke & Abbott’s Caribbean Seashells, I find it difficult to differentiate between Bailya parva (C. B. Adams, 1850) and Bailya intricata (Dall, 1884). In fact, I suspected for some time that the two illustrations in American Seashells were the same species. I have found some shells that are strongly sculptured, and some that have brown bands, and also some that are strongly sculptured and have brown bands as well. Now I discover that Dall himself decided the same thing. When he described Phos intricatus, in fact, he described it ‘‘with hesita- tion, since it seems extraordinary that so common a shell should not have been already described.’’ Five years later he synonymized the name he created with that of Adams, having seen Adams’ type, but he placed the shell in the genus Phos. The differences in the shell that do cause some confusion are summarized by Dall as follows: ‘‘The Floridian specimens are short, compact, with very prickly sculpture, and of a white or muddy gray color. The Antillean specimens are more slender and elongated, less prickly, and of a clear white, or banded prettily with light yellow brown or purplish, in a spiral direction.”’ This is a fairly common Florida/Caribbean shell, found mostly in intertidal situations on the substrate under beige-colored rocks, but also in deeper water (I have it from 50’ depth off west Florida). There are often two or more under the same rock. The cryptic coloring usually makes the shell hard to spot. My thanks to Walter Sage for ferreting out the references and sending me copies. Adams, C. B. 1850. Descriptions of supposed new species of marine snails which in- habit Jamaica. Contributions to Conchology, Vol. 1, No. 4. Dall, W. H. 1884. On a collection of shells sent from Florida by Mr. Henry Hemphill. Proceedings of the U.S. National Museum, Vol. 6, No. 21. Dall, W. H. 1889. Reports on the results of dredging, under the supervision of Alexander Agassiz, in the Gulf of Mexico (1877-78) and in the Caribbean Sea (1879-80) by the U.S. Coast Survey Steamer ‘‘Blake.’’ Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology, Vol. 18. AMERICAN CONCHOLOGIST VOLUME 15(4 Figure I Photos by Richard Goldberg A JAMAICAN HELICINID: ONE SPECIES OR SIX? by Richard L. Goldberg The Greater Antilles are known for their abundant and diverse land snail fauna. The Antillean island of Jamaica harbors a greater number of terrestrial species than is known from any comparable- sized land mass in the world. Five hundred species have been reported from Jamaica, and 85-90 percent of them are endemic. Approximately half of these known Jamaican terrestrials belong to just four operculate families. Although many Jamaican species have very restricted ranges and isolated habitats, others are widespread throughout the island. A number of these wide-ranging species show considerable variation, and in some species the variation is so great that their varieties seem morphologically distinct. Eutrochatella pulchella (Gray, 1824), the type species of the genus, in the operculate family Helicinidae, falls into this latter category. It exhibits extreme variation in various populations throughout the island. Over the past two years, I have collected E. pulchella at over 25 collecting stations, and examined another 30 lots at three major museums (Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard; American Museum of Natural History, New York; and the Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia). Approximately six distinct varieties of E. pulchella can be sorted from these lots, based on three morphological characteristics which I will discuss later. Except in the case of one lot, I never found any mixing of these varieties actually living at the same collecting station. The geology of Jamaica plays a large factor in the development of these isolated populations. The limestone-rich areas of middle and western Jamaica harbor a large proportion of the varieties. In the past, however, the Blue Mountains and in part the John Crow Mountains are composed of an igneous and shale rock which makes up much of the core of Jamaica; these areas are less desirable habitats for land mollusks. E. pulchella and its related varieties thrive in the limestone-rich areas, but are notably absent from eastern high-elevation mountains. Populations are found in elevations under 3000 feet in the east though. Environmental factors such as geology, vegetation and climate have a direct effect upon these populations. E. pulchella popula- tions found on the rainy windward coast are very different from populations on the dry leeward coast or the cooler central highlands. Along the north shore I usually found E. pulchella in association with limestone outcroppings, but the distinct popula- tions found around Mandeville, Balaclava and the Cockpit Coun- try are almost always found crawling on rock in wet, mid-level rain forests. A correlation seems to exist between how distinct a variety is, and how isolated it is. This can be seen in Figure I, 4a and b from Negril, and 10a and b from the Cockpit Country. Distance in the case of the former, or a karst topography in the case of the latter ef- fectively separate them from other populations, and this separation seems to have enabled them to evolve unique characteristics. Three general features help distinguish these varieties at a glance: first, having either a sharp or a round peripheral carina; second, if sharp, the peripheral carina being either continuous or undulate/ broken; and third, either having red markings or lacking any traces of red. In large series of populations, these three features are im- mediately evident. Visible under a hand lens are other less evident differentiating features like the number of spiral cords. In Vendryes’ 1899 faunal list of the land and freshwater shells of Jamaica, he listed four varieties of E. pulchella: one unnamed variety by Pfeiffer, and three named by C. B. Adams — multicar- nata from Portland Parish, /abiosa for varieties with excessively thickened lips, and nobilis from Westmoreland Parish. A subspecies described by Wood in 1828 as scitula is distincly missing from Vendrye’s list. H. B. Baker described a subspecies, E. nobilis Figure II VOLUME 15(4 retreatensis Baker, 1934, distinguished by its two orange-red bands. If E. nobilis is, in fact, only a subspecies of E. pulchella, it is the most distinct subspecies from the nominate form. As can be seen from illustration 4a and b, FE. nobilis has a well-rounded periphery as opposed to the sharp carina of typical E. pulchella, and is always larger, averaging 12-15mm. The nobilis group is restricted to the western part of Westmoreland Parish. Baker named two varieties of E. pulchella in 1934, cathartensis from Portland/St. Thomas Parish boundary, and cavearum from Manchester Parish. Baker also considered E. grayana (Pfeiffer, 1842) to be only a variety of E. pulchella. As you can see, there is much confusion and disagreement as to the status of these many varieties. On my most recent trip to Jamaica I found that certain northcentral populations of E. pulchella are somewhat similar to a beautiful dwarf variety of its beautiful relative E. tankervillei (Gray, 1824), found 7-10 miles south in the Cockpit Country (Figure II). In Figure I, I have not attempted to employ variety or subspecies names in most cases. This illustration does, though, give an ap- preciation of the great variation found in Eutrochatella pulchella. The populations illustrated here were selected to show a scheme in the distribution of varieties. Among all the varieties, subspecies, and transitional populations, I can easily separate six distinct forms of E. pulchella. They include the Clark’s Town (1a, b), Ulster (2b), Bogwalk (3a, b), Negril (4a, b), Unity Valley (7a, b), and Cockpit Country (10a, b) populations. I do not suggest by these observations that these varieties should be given specific status, but I do hope to stimulate further thought and investigation of the radiating speciation of this and other such insular species. Ultimately, modern anatomical study methods and consultation of fossil records will have to be utilized to sort out these seemingly endless varieties. Until that time, good locality and habitat data will help in better understanding the distribution of these and other varieties of Eutrochatella pulchella. FIGURE I. la & b: One of the most beautiful forms of FE. pulchella, limited to limestone cliffs in n. Trelawny Parish. Collected about two miles east of Clark’s Town. The undulating peripheral carina is broken with red. 9mm (see Fig. II). 2a & b: The general shape of this Ulster Spring variety is very similar to #10, from the Cockpit Country, but has a broken carina marked in red. 2a is an odd, dead-collected specimen possibly transplanted by a bird or mongoose. Probably a transitional population between the n. Trelawny forms and isolated Cockpit Country forms. 11mm. 3a & b: This form, taken just south of Bogwalk, seems limited to the limestone areas in St. Catherine and part of Clarendon Parish. Distinguished by its less convex spire outline, and only a hint of red markings between the breaks in the carina. See #12. 10mm. 4a & b: This is E. nobilis taken two kilometers north of Negril in a dry limestone forest. The well-rounded peripheral carina and larger size distinguish it from typical E. pulchella. Some specimens have a more acute peripheral carina. It is limited to Westmoreland Parish. 13mm. Trelawny Cockpit” Country 0 10 20 30 40 Se ee eee km Clarendon Map numbers correspond to the numbers on Figure I. AMERICAN CONCHOLOGIST Kingston St. Andrew a St. Elizabeth Manchester ¥ we Catherine PAGE 9 5a & b: This form, described by C. B. Adams as lJabiosa, was col- lected brom the dry limestone cliffs at Dirlton. Most specimens from this locality exhibited a thickened lip, but I found the characteristic in odd specimens throughout Jamaica. Most shells had only a hint of red, but 5b has two distinct bands. The broken carina was more rounded than in other populations. 9mm. 6a & b: Snails from Trainline, about three miles south of Brown’s Town, had two distinct forms. 6a predominated, with a lower spire, and opaque areas replaced red markings (visible on the peristome). A few odd specimens found here (6b) are identical to specimens from Ulster Spring (2b). Both exhibit a broken carina. Probably another transitional population. 7a & b: A dwarf population from Unity Valley on Mount Diablo, uniquely lacking any white markings other than faint low spiral cords. Very thin carina is unbroken to faintly broken. Some with a hint of suffuse red coloring (7b). I collected these in January, 1986, but road construction has destroyed the habitat. I assume this form has a wider range on Mount Diablo than the dry limestone cliffs that were blasted away. 8mm. 8a & b: Another dwarf form taken seven miles south of Quickstep on the rugged limestone cliffs along the south fringe of Cockpit Country. The convex outline is very similar to populations from the center of Cockpit Country (#10), but the carina varied from broken to unbroken. Some specimens showed only faint red below the carina. Interestingly enough, dwarf forms of other species were found here also. 7mm. 9a & b: Found at three localities around Balaclava, probably another trasition between more northerly forms and the isolated Cockpit form (#10). Specimens vary considerably within individual populations. Breaks in the carina are much more widely spaced than in other populations, but some specimens have no breaks at all. Some have a thin carina, while others are thick and corded. Most had no red markings, but a few showed a hint of red between the breaks. 8mm. 10a & b: I found this form, restricted to the remote Cockpit Coun- try, along a five mile stretch of trail in the center of the region. Pro- minent carina is unbroken. The convex outline, larger size and lack of red markings are constant. 10mm. 11: From Mount Horeb in the western fringe of the Cockpit Coun- try. Very similar to the isolated Cockpit form, it had 2-3 red bands with a few widely spaced carina breaks. 10mm. 12a & b: Very similar to 3, this Lluidas Vale population has flatter- sided whorls, more acute spire angle. Coloring and sculpture are identical to specimens from Bogwalk (#3). 9mm. 13: From the Alps. Similar to varieties from Ulster (2b), and Trainline (6b). As more populations are discovered, these transi- tional forms should link wide-ranging varieties. FIGURE II E. pulchella from Clark’s Town, and E. tankervillei (right) from the Cockpit Country, showing the undulating/broken peripheral carina in both. GS Cae OO OO QO YS OO KEY TO FIGURE 1 Portland St. Thomas PAGE 10 MORE CONFUSION — BUSYCON UPDATE A series of opercula from Busycon contrarium, left to right: from a very senile animal, a young adult and a juvenile. RELATIVE AGE IN BUSYCON by John Timmerman Unlike such mollusks as Strombus, Busycon don’t develop flared lips or other definite indicators of maturity. Nor is shell size a reliable indicator in Busycon. The sexes vary in size, the females be- ing larger that the males, so a given specimen may be half the size of another, and yet display the characteristics of a fully adult shell. However, the Busycon shell does thicken and often loses the juvenile coloring when full size is reached. The thickening process may continue to the extent that a grossly heavy or senile shell results. In addition to the thickening of the shell, growth lines tend to become closer together as the animal’s growth slows. This can be observed on the last one to three inches of the body whorl. I’ve noticed a third indication of age that lends support to these obser- vations. INTERIOR STRUCTURES OF AN OPERCULUM Busycon contrarium (Conrad, 1840) y outer margin callus basal layer parietal (inner) — margin Salih area of foot attachment EXTERIOR STRUCTURE OF AN OPERCULUM | parietal (inner) margin outer margin AMERICAN CONCHOLOGIST VOLUME 15(4 By examining the interior attachment area of the operculum I can determine relative age of a given shell. The area of attachment to the foot has a mustard brown callus that overlays the smooth, dark brown of the operculum. As the animal ages, more of this callus is produced, gradually covering most of the brown layer. In very young animals, such callusing is often nonexistent, while in senile individuals the callus is very thick and rough. By observing the operculum alone, I can usually make an accurate determination of the relative age of the shell it came from. This is a rough method for estimating age, but it further helps to clarify relative age in this group of mollusks so variable in mature size. This technique is limited to the Busycon carica (Gmelin, 1791) and Busycon perver- sum (Linné, 1758) — Busycon contrarium (Conrad, 1840) complex, the heavy-shelled species. Busycon laeostomum Kent, 1982. Paratype. AMNH #206091. 220mm. Trapped at 10-15 meters off Stone Harbor, New Jersey, 1979. LEFTHANDED RIGHTHANDED WHELKS? There’s a population of large, pale sinistral whelks that inhabits offshore waters between southern New Jersey and northern Virginia. They have been called sinistral Busycon carica (Gmelin, 1791) or a form of B. contrarium (Conrad, 1840), but they also have been given a name of their own, Busycon laeostomum Kent, 1982.! The author observes that these sinistral shells have periostracum characteristic of B. contratium, and that the animal is black, which is also true of the Lightning Whelk. On the other hand, it is much more like B. carica in shape and curvature of the columella. Busycon carica, however, is a gray animal, and its shell has never been observed in the white to peach tone characteristic of this off- shore population, while the latter has never appeared with the deep orange mouth common to B. carica. Other, less conclusive dif- ferences are mentioned as well. A third Busycon species in the area already inhabited by two other, closely related, immensely variable ones seems unlikely, so the description doesn’t seem to give us any answers, but it does add some interesting information to the puzzle of the Busycon. Bretton W. Kent. 1982. An overlooked Busycon Whelk (Melongenidae) from the eastern United States. The Nautilus, Vol. 96(3), pp. 99-104. LARGE COLLECTION OF LIJIGUUS FOR SALE. Over 1000 shells, all first quality specimens with complete data. For sale as collection only. P.O. Box 130243, Sunrise, FL 33313. Phone: 305-749-9858. VOLUME 15(4 . Busycon contrarium (Conrad, 1840) variants, showing extreme variation within this species. The 240mm specimen, left, is the very spiny variant referred to as Busycon sinistrum (Hollister, 1958) from Marco Island. On the right is the knobless variant called Busycon aspinosum (Hollister, 1958), 187mm, most likely from Florida. Busycon contrarium (Conrad, 1840) collected at Portsmouth island, North Carolina after Hurricane Gloria in 1985. This thin- shelled variant, common to the area, has closely-spaced brown axial color streaks and an apricot-to-salmon aperture in adults. These are quite different from shells found in back bay areas, and are just another possibility in this immensely variable shell. 107mm. % Multi-Knobbed Busycons: Busycons sometimes produce extra rows of knobs. On the left is a 287mm Busycon perversum pulleyi (Hollister, 1958) from the Gulf of Campeche, Mexico (American Museum of Natural History). Single-knobbed in the juvenile stage, it later added the two extra rows present in the last 134 whorls. On the right is a much less common phenomenon, 129mm sub-fossil Busycon carica (Gmelin, 1791) collected by Alta Van Landingham on Portsmouth Island in 1975 and actually born with three rows of equal-sized knobs. Busycon perversum pulleyi may also be born with multiple rows of knobs. In both of the shells pictured, the ad- ditional rows of knobs are very much on the shoulder of the whorl. In some cases, however, the spiral lirae between the shoulder and the spire may strengthen to the point of producing a second, weak row of knobs — see the specimen of Busycon sinistrum (Hollister, 1958) below. Multiple-knobbed whelks don’t appear to represent a given population, but are a result of a widespread recessive trait. Wherever the knobbed whelk occurs, the possibility for multiple knobs exists. (JT) AMERICAN CONCHOLOGIST PAGE 11 Pen-and-ink drawing of a high-spired variant, knobbed whelk, Busycon carica (Gmelin, 1791). (See COA Bulletin, March 1987) All photos and drawings by John Timmerman STATE BUSYCONS In 1978, the Georgia Shell Club adopted Busycon carica eliceans Montfort, 1810 as the official club shell. They concluded that it would make a good State Shell candidate as well, so in 1984 Kay Reissing of the Georiga Shell Club contacted the State House of Representatives to initiate the selection process. The heavy, con- torted variant of Busycon carica (Gmelin, 1791) ran into a snag though. It seems that the experts weren’t at all sure that it was a valid subspecies, so Busycon carica itself has been chosen as the Georgia State Shell. Busycon perversum pulleyi Hollister, 1958, had a much smoother course to State Shellhood in Texas. Action on the adoption of this whelk as State Shell of Texas, begun in May, 1986 in Brazoria County, Texas under the auspices of the local museum and the Brazoria County Sea Shell Searchers, concluded with the governor’s signature in April, 1987. FISH STORY by Kathy Krattli On the second full day of my two week vacation on Grand Bahama Island, my friend Pat drove us out to the east end of For- tune Beach to snorkel and look for shells. This almost-deserted area proved to be a delightful place to snorkel once we got out past the rocks. The tide was on its way out and it was a beautiful, sunny, calm day. I was anxious to try out my new little 35mm Nikon Action Touch camera. My first subject was a beautiful little Flamingo Tongue, Cyphoma gibbosum, on a purple sponge. I thought they just lived on sea fans! The yellow and purple soft corals, waving gently with the current were just beautiful! Large sea urchins were everywhere, and the small colorful fish that are always a joy to watch. In this environment, I totally lose myself, as well as all track of time and direction. I was snapping pictures at intervals, each time replacing my camera in its case strapped to my belt. Then, one time I reached for my camera in its case — to snap a small barracuda curiously watching me — and it wasn’t there! The velcro closure hadn’t held, and my camera had fallen out! But where and when? I was suddenly sure the barracuda knew. I hurriedly offered a deal to Neptune... Help me find my camera and I’d return the little Flamingo Tongue to its purple sponge! I hunted for about two hours, trying to retrace the areas where I might have dropped the camera. I knew I had never been out deeper than six feet. I didn’t find my camera, but I found a lot of neat things that would have made good pictures! I saw a steel-blue ray with a fish almost riding on its back, and a Tulip having a clam for lunch. I also found a Marginella roosevelti that is supposed to be pretty rare. The animal is red with white splotchy markings, a pretty little thing. After being in the water for about four hours (my mask felt like it was growing to my face!) and being in the sun at the hottest time of the day, we called the search off and went home. That night I didn’t sleep much. I had visions of my camera being hauled down to the bottom of an octopus hole. And I wondered, if I did find it the next day, would it still work? The next day we were back out at Fortune Beach, this time with two more friends to help in the search. We criss-crossed the whole area with no luck, but what I found in the way of shells almost made losing my camera worthwhile. Almost. Among these were: three perfect Angular Tritons, Cymatium femorale at the entrance to an octopus hole, nicely cleaned out for me; three Caribbean Lace Murexes, Chicoreus florifer, which differ a bit in color and form from the Florida ones; and, along with a couple of ordinary Hawk Wing Conchs, Strombus raninus, | found a pure orange one! After four hours, again in the hottest part of the day, we decided we weren’t going to find my camera, and we gave up. Before we left, I went to check for shells out on the rock jetty, which was now completely exposed. I found nothing at all, and started snorkeling in the shallow water out beyond it. I was tired and still feeling a bit depressed about my lost camera when I almost bumped into my friend, the small barracuda. I knew it was the same one because of that all-knowing gleam in his eye! I was still unreasonably convinced that he knew where my camera was, and I guess he didn’t like my AMERICAN CONCHOLOGIST VOLUME 15(4 attitude, for he quickly swam off. I started in the opposite direc- tion, when suddenly, right in front of me, was my biggest find of the whole trip — my camera, with a big sea urchin sitting on it! Now that would have made a great picture! It had drifted about fifty feet from where I had been the day before. And the most amazing thing was that, after being in the ocean for 24 hours, it still worked! Had that barracuda been keeping an eye on it the whole time? I only regretted that I never did get his picture! BEST OF THE NEWSLETTERS This time we present a humorous little piece by a prolific con- tributor, Bob Lipe, from the June 1987 issue of the St. Petersburg Shell Club Tidelines which conveys and lightens the frustrations many novices feel when encountering shell terminology. Con- gratulations, Bob! Keep up your excellent contributions. CONCHOLOGICAL CONFUSION by Bob Lipe Many times, whenever interested persons ask questions about the parts of the shell or the animal within the shell. I try to answer their questions. But look, folks, I don’t know it all, and I can see how you can become confused. Now the edge of the shell is called a lip, and yet it isn’t on a mouth, or is it? The opening of the shell is called the mouth at times, but the mouth on the animal is called the proboscis, which I used to think was a nose. But the nose on the snail is called the siphon, which is the way I get gas out of my car for my lawnmower. The part the shell crawls on is called the foot, or so they tell me. That’s why the snail is called a gastropod, which means ‘‘stomach- foot.’’ When a snail eats a large meal, he might say, ‘‘I can’t eat any dessert because my foot’s full.’’ The siphon or nose extends through and out of the siphonal canal, which I have heard called the tail end of the shell — wrong end, my friend! The other end is called the tip, spire, rear, top, etc. It’s the end where the shell started its growth. The little tip is called the nucleus or protoconch. Each time the snail builds a complete circle of shell, it’s called a whorl. The place where the whorls are joined is called the suture. To help you remember, let’s say the whorls were separated and the doctor had to sew them up. What would he call his sewing? You guessed it, a suture. The shell is con- structed by something called a mantle (no fireplaces included). The mantle is a thin piece of fleshy material which extends to the edge of the shell, or can cover the entire shell in some families. The operculum is an item that the snail uses to close up the en- trance of the shell. It’s called a door, but has no hinges. The bivalves or clams have the hinges, but have no doors; what a mess! The snails have teeth in the end of their proboscis (that’s their mouth, not their nose). The teeth are called radula (no, not Dracula) and they are lined up on what is called a ribbon, by the hundreds, and when some wear down or are lost, others take their place. The proboscis can extend to cover twice the length of the shell. The snail can stay home and send his mouth out to eat. Some snails have the ability of knocking other shells off their back with their proboscis. Wow! Extendo mouth! I don’t know if I have this all figured out. Have you? a —__________— VOLUME 15(4 THE BROWARD SHELL CLUB GOES TO FIJI by Josy Wiener After working very hard, researching thoroughly, and anxiously checking with the State Department about the political climate of the government of Fiji, our Broward Shell Club field trip chairman, Kim Chandler, led twenty-nine of us (including three members of the Central Florida Shell Club) on our long awaited trip to Naigani Island, Fiji. We departed on August 4th, and spent two nights at the very elegant, old world-style Royal Hawaiian Hotel in Honolulu, shop- ping, sightseeing — Ben and I got in a visit to the Bishop Museum. The highlight of our stay was attending a meeting of the Hawaiian Malacological Society. There we gave a talk on COA, showed slides of the 1986 Ft. Lauderdale Convention and met some wonderful, warm and gracious people. On Friday, August 7, very early, we left Hawaii for Nadi (pro- nounced Nandi), where customs thoroughly searched our luggage. Several nuisance-type luggage searches later — remember those headlines about the unrest in Fiji! — we were on a 35-minute flight to Suva where we boarded a bus for the next leg of our journey. Two hours later, after a hair-raising ride over narrow, unpaved roads marked by potholes and rickety wooden bridges, we reached a little jetty where launches transported us to our mystery island, Naigani. After another seemingly hazardous ride, this time through chop- py waters, outgoing tide, coral reefs and diesel fumes, we reached Naigani where we were welcomed by the beat of drums and the en- tire staff of our hotel. To keep our feet dry, we were each carried ashore! At last, our luscious tropical island! When Jean Redding found the first Conus marmoreus, eager hands tried to grab and admire it, but Jean, expert and cautious sheller, cautioned us that all cones were to be handled with the long handled tongs we had brought. Our living quarters were a big surprise: sheer homey luxury! Spacious duplexes with shared living-dining areas and complete kit- chens, and even a shell-cleaning station out back. Maids did our laundry and changed our linen daily. Three good, ample meals a day were served, featuring fresh fruits and vegetables and a variety of meats and fish. Our existence from then on consisted of beach- combing, wading, snorkeling and rock-turning. Saturday, August 9th, we got up rather early and started shell- ing, turning rocks, uncovering cones and cowries. We worked our way toward a fantastic low tide sandbar which easily pleased thirty shellers in spite of a rather cold wind and rain — olives, terebras, miters, one Cassis cornutus and naturally cones — sheer delight! As the tide turned, we made our way back and started to cook and clean shells. The cones, miters and terebras were a losing proposition, so we just ziplock-bagged them, sprinkled on some baking soda and anticipated the fun of all the luggage inspections on the return trip. We tried leaving them out for the ants to clean, but three sows and twenty-two piglets nixed that idea, digging up everything, including a very dark bulbosa-like olive we hated to lose. After dinner the native staff presented us with a welcome show and the Kava ceremony. Now Kava is not a coffee, but a mud-like, mud-tasting concoction. Fortunately, neither Ben nor I was picked to taste it, or we would have been forced to offend our hosts. On Monday, 22 brave souls went on a day trip to a different island, but eight of us remembered the diesel fumes and stayed behind to turn rocks and wade. Ben went in search of Cypraea, his favorite pasttime given a rocky habitat, and was joined by two chatty natives. One man reminisced about his grandfather, recall- ing the days when their people practiced cannibalism, whereupon Ben told him, ‘‘What do you look at me for? I am too small for you.’ ‘‘We’ll eat you for dessert,’’ they told him. The next day we took a launch and ample picnic supplies around the island to explore a pretty reef. We bagged coral, some starfish, basket stars and crown-of-thorns, and naturally the blue starfish, which fascinated all of us. Also more cones, Cypraea and Trochus. AMERICAN CONCHOLOGIST PAGE 13 Lunch was delicious, snorkeling very good. On Wednesday, we went across the island to visit the native village — about 1% miles through lush jungle scenery. The natives were waiting for us, their wares all spread out — woven mats and shells. Fran Thorpe got a nice Cassis, Alyce Wassell, with Ben bargaining for her, bought a Charonia tritonis. I finally broke down and bought for $5 (down from $10) a five pound, 10’’ Chama which I wasn’t sure I could get home. That night, after dinner, the natives performed again and then we all joined and danced with them. It really was a fun night. On Saturday, August 15th, David Rutledge, President of the Fiji Shell Club, arrived to judge our shells. Olga Jacubucin won with an Epitonium. Then David showed us some absolutely beautiful shells from his collection and also brought two Cypraea aurantium for us to drool over. That night we had a native costume party with David judging. Ben and I came in second and were awarded a Murex ramosus. Monday, some of us visited an old native village, before packing to leave. Fitting all our treasures in was a big job. That night after dinner, the native staff gave a farewell party for us, and we: serenaded them all with a song composed by Kim and her sister Shirley. Early Tuesday, after the luggage was loaded, we boarded our launches, or should I say were carried aboard, so as not to get our travelling shoes wet. As usual, the seas were choppy and we also had a bit of rain, a lovely rainbow and diesel fumes blowing our way. But we got back to the little jetty with the sun shining. While the luggage was being loaded into the bus, Corinne Edwards and a few others went down to the stones and rocks to look for shells — the spot provided a real bonanza — more Mitras, Murex troscheli, Planaxis and more. Back in Suva, Ben and I bought post cards and went off to the post office to mail them. But we didn’t have enough Fijian money — we were 40 cents short. Would you believe it, the kindhearted postal worker waved our offer of American dollars aside. Can you imagine this happening in a U.S. post office? Then off to the stalls near the waterfront, where we shopped five years earlier and where one of the men recognized Ben! We bought tapa cloth bags — tapa cloth is made of a tree bark and hand painted in black and brown colors in lovely patterns — and met some of our fellow shellers bargaining for specimen shells. A perfect Charonia tritonis attracted us and we haggled the price down from $100 to $50 but the thought of having to give it up at US customs was unbearable so we left it behind. A Cypraea aurantium with a big flaw for $700 was easy to pass up, and Ben was offered a Murex troscheli for $1100, then $1050. He told them we get shells cheaper in the U.S. a Buying shells at native village Ben Wiener — Journey’s End. PAGE 14 AMERICAN CONCHOLOGIST VOLUME 15(4) Finally met at the Travellodge for a very interesting sightseeing tour of Suva. We saw a ten-foot Nautilus pompilius but were not allowed to take photos, because the park was adjacent to a govern- ment residence and the soldiers waved us on. Away to the airport to give the officials several good whiffs of the contents of our luggage, and we were off for home. Kim Chandler had done a fantastic job on this, her first overseas ven- ture. One sad note: Ruth Chesler, who had remained behind for a longer stay in Fiji with Jean Redding, passed away in a Suva hospital on August 26th. We will always remember her as our friend and travel companion, and the chairman of the 1986 COA convention in Ft. Lauderdale. ANOTHER SHELLING STORY: SWEET WATER SNAILS IN TOBAGO by Peggy Williams On a recent trip to Tobago, Charlotte Lloyd, her son Brian and I found a large freshwater — ‘‘sweet water’’ as it’s called there — snail. We showed it to our hotel’s manageress, who asked in amaze- ment, ‘‘How did you ever know where to look?’’ Here’s how: Charlotte and I got hooked on snail hunting in the rain forest of Puerto Rico, so we naturally stopped at roadsides on Tobago to look for snails in the forest and freshwater environments. However, we found little in our early efforts. One day, at the far end of the island, we visited Jane Boyle, a diver who collects shells and has written a checklist of marine shells of Tobago. She also had some land snails, including a huge white one of 3-4 inches in length and this large freshwater snail similar to our Apple Snails in Florida. We knew immediately that it was a freshwater snail, and, indeed, had seen one at the dive shop on our end of the island and identified it as freshwater. Of course the dive shop clerk had no idea where it had been found. Jane, however, did know and told us just where to look. The following day we eagerly followed Jane’s directions to the proper stream. There we found, on the banks of the stream, a large pile of these snails that had been someone’s picnic. Even the oper- culums were there and intact. However, the beautiful black velvety periostracum of Jane’s specimen had begun to weather and peel off of these shells, and we still hoped for live, fresh specimens. But we didn’t find any, though we searched several streams in the hot mid- day sun. We did make friends with some fishermen (the streams were near the Atlantic coast) and saw a bag full of ‘“Cockroaches’’ — Chitons — that a woman had collected for sale — they’re eaten raw and said to make a man virile — but that’s another story. On our next-to-last day we rented motor scooters late in the day and rode off along back roads hunting land snails. We followed one road bearing a sign saying a culvert was out down the way. It was a quiet, lovely road and we enjoyed it, stopping for snails and to photograph some goats with their kids. A vanload of people passed us with friendly waves, and when we got to the culvert we found that they had stopped and, seeing a large fish in the tiny stream, were trying to net it with a cast net. There were several men and women, a couple of children, and a tiny baby asleep on the seat of the open van. They were a typical racial mix of negro and East Indian (Hindu), with perhaps a little American Indian thrown in, hence they were shorter than the usual run of Tobagoans; and they were just as friendly as everyone else on that delightful island. As we talked, Charlotte found one of the freshwater snails on the bank, and we asked if they had seen any there. Everyone started looking vaguely around, but there were none in the immediate vicinity. Finally, one of the men gave us explicit instructions: Go to the main highway and take the first right turn. You will see a gate to a pasture. Park the scooters and go over the gate. No one will mind if you walk over the land! Walk across the pasture and you’ll come to a ‘‘branch’’ (stream) just like this one. The snails are there. He added proudly that not everyone knows where to find these snails, but he guaranteed we’d find them there. The search for land snails immediately abandoned, we hurried to follow directions, racing the fast-falling dusk. We did find a gate and walked a way, but we decided we had the wrong one. We found the right place just as darkness fell and determined to go back the next day. ve % It was wet in the morning, but did not actually rain on us, and as the day progressed the sky cleared for a beautiful last day s of our stay. We went again to the gate, climbed over it and, m carefully avoiding cow patties, 7 made our way to the tiny stream s where Charlotte immediately found a live snail in the now- muddy water. Moving down- stream, fighting brambles and slipping on the muddy banks, we found more, and in places where there was a wide muddy shore ‘al where cows waded into the water, the snails were everywhere! We found many dead ones on the banks too, half-buried in dredged-up river bottom. The live ones, however, were emerging from the mud and we figured they had probably been buried for months, waiting for the first rain! We found only a few large live ones and also took a very few of the smaller juveniles, but we filled our bags with dead clean snails with the operculums still in place — they must have found the drought too long and desiccated. Back at the hotel, we asked our amazed manageress to freeze the live snails for us, and they were just right for pulling out of the animal when I finally got home to Florida. WHEN IN ROME by Deena Martin I had a warm and wonderful experience in May on a trip to Italy with Adelphi University. I had written to Kety Nicolay, the editor of La Conchiglia, to say that I would be in Rome. Well, you have never seen such a welcome. Kety and her husband Mario were the most gracious hosts ever. I was invited to their home where I had the joy of seeing their huge, very beautiful collection of shells. Many of them were extra large, and most of them were self- collected from all over the world. What a breathtaking afternoon! Then came tea in their very beautiful home. And... . an invitation to all of you to let them know when you will be in Rome, and how much they would enjoy meeting you. They asked why so few of us subscribe to La Conchiglia, and I said I’d ask, because I, for one, wouldn’t miss it. I guess the most frequent answer is that there is no follow-up on expired subscriptions. Anyway, then I had a tour of a beautiful rose garden and a very special view of the dome of St. Peters from a keyhole in a door put up to frame the dome by the Knights of Malta. These were sights we would not ever see with a tour. How kind they were. I will always remember my visit with pleasure. Remember, when in Rome, let Kety Nicolay know! From Irradians, Publication of the Long Island Shell Club. MORRIS CARL JACOBSON SCHOLARSHIP FOR MOLLUSCAN STUDIES The Astronaut Trail Shell Club this year will offer one or more scholarship awards of up to $1500 for support of graduate research in molluscan biology. For more information, write Dr. K. B. Clark, Chairman of Scholarship Awards, Astronaut Trail Shell Club of Brevard, Inc., P.O. Box 360515, Melbourne, FL 32936-0515. VOLUME 15(4 FEEDING A HUNGRY COWRIE by Alta Van Landingham A few years ago, while shelling in the Florida Keys, my husband Van found a Cypraea cervus Linné 1771, the Atlantic Deer Cowrie, in the bulla stage, about one inch long. We then had many salt water aquaria and were interested in as many live, immature species as we could find for observation. Van also collected from the area several algae-covered rocks, as, at the time, all information indicated that cowries are vegetarians. After settling the cowrie in our aquarium in Ocracoke, North Carolina, I collected several species of algae from that area to see if his appetite would go for N.C. as well as Florida algae. I had put the cowrie in an aquarium with some tiny, quarter-inch Busycon carica (Gmelin, 1791) babies. The Busycon were being fed on a diet of Atlantic Coquinas Donax variabilis (Say, 1822) which were very plentiful in our area, and easy for the juvenile Busycon to open. The cowrie was very active, moving all around the aquarium, crawling on and under the rocks, but I never observed him feeding on algae. I spent hours observing, and was surprised to see him eating the coquinas that the young Busycon had opened. This feeding habit continued. The cowrie grew at an amazing rate, or so it seemed to us. We could find no information about the growth rate or eating habits, actually very little at all about the living animal. At the end of a year the shell size had increased to six and a half inches. The only comparison we had was the juvenile Busycon carica which we had been raising. The Busycon were only seven to eight inches at the end of six years, and here was this cowrie over six inches in the first year! As the cowrie grew, he was transferred to a larger aquarium along with the original rocks from his habitat in the Florida Keys. I continued to keep him well supplied with different types of algae, and while he did eventually munch on the algae, he definitely preferred coquinas. Since he couldn’t open the coquinas himself, I froze them, and then when I put them into the aquarium, they would open as they thawed, and he would move in on them! By the time the cowrie was four inches long, he was eating about a pint of coquinas each day. The cowrie shell was very beautiful, with dark bluish tints and ocellated spots similar to Cypraea zebra Linné, 1758. It lived in our aquarium for a bit over one year, and at the time of death was not fully mature. I have no idea as to the cause of death, although someone suggested that it may have been acute indigestion from eating so many coquinas! LYNX JINX by Rich Kelly One of the supervisors (luckily not mine) in my office took quite an interest in shells. He seemed so sincere that I decided to start him out on a collection. I gave him a self-collected Argopecten i. irra- dians, full data and even a zip lock. This person is seriously involved with the stock market. When he got the shell, he put it on his desk and his stocks went up and up. After a while the shell was getting in his way, so he put it in his desk drawer. His stocks went down and down. One day he noticed the Shell in his drawer and put it back on top of his desk in hopes of changing his luck. His stocks skyrocketed. Then the occasion of a business trip came along and he just had to take the shell with him. He put it in his pants pocket, forgot about it, and accidentally leaned against his desk. The shell broke into little pieces. His stocks plum- meted. Now in total panic, be begged me for another lucky shell. I gave him an indestructible Cypraea lynx from Australia. He thought it was very attractive, put it on his desk, and lost $1,000 in three days. There’s no moral or punch line. This is a true story. From Irradians, publication of the Long Island Shell Club. AMERICAN CONCHOLOGIST PAGE 15 Photos by Beatrice Winner Fusinus salisburyi Fulton, 1930. With egg capsules. Bea’s Babies: Fusinus salisburyi Fulton, 1930 by Beatrice Winner This specimen of Fusinus salisburyi was taken by a prawn trawler at 120 fathoms, northeast of Lady Musgrave Island in the lower end of the Capricorn Channel, Queensland, Australia. The trawler pulled in three specimens with egg cases attached, one of which is pictured here. The animal was still in the egg-covered shell when I received it. The buff egg capsules measure 14mm. in length and 7.5mm at their widest part. Each one was attached by its base to the shell. There has been no report that a planktonic larva exists. This uncommon fusinid may reach 370mm. The fusinids, in the family Fasciolariidae, belong to the order Neogastropoda, the most highly advanced order, systematically. Its members are gono- charistic, that is, the sexes are separate. OLD MEMBERS, NEW MEMBERS ‘‘Welcome back!’’ says the note attached to the copy of AMERICAN CONCHOLOGIST that arrived yesterday. Hadn’t been aware that I’d been away until I checked my shelves and find I’m missing so many issues. But in one of those back issues I came upon a plea for words on ‘‘How I became a shell collector.’’ Here: Long, long ago I marveled at the pretty things in the cabinet of my neighbor, Imogene Robertson. I’m sure that she became weary of my asking how she painted them, and ‘‘What’s this? And that?’’ So she led me to her back yard to tip over boards to display the snails beneath. Assuring me that they had names, even as I did, she loaned me a book, and then books, and, and, and. Much later I was to inherit her position as curator of mollusks at the Buffalo Museum of Science, and yes, to help organize COA. Later, residence in the Florida Keys and learning to snorkel brought about my modest shell business; I have my sales sheet at hand, and it really was modest. And now, here am I in the far west, living in a rest home among a hundred-plus neighbors who don’t know a snail from a scupper- nong. I have a few shells on hand, too few to call a collection, which I display to them on occasion, due to the generosity of my old friend from the Keys, Roberta Robertson. And sometimes I hear from other old friends — Alan. Tucker. Jean. Setting down these words has made me realize how much I miss you all. If and when any of you come west (Beaverton, Oregon is a suburb of Portland and I’m in the phone book) please stop in; it will do me so much good to chat. Adios! Margaret Teskey 5450 SW Erickson A-321 Beaverton, OR 97005 VOLUME 15(4. Photos by Vokes, Hoerle Fossil Mollusks with original pattern exposed by ultra violet light: top row, from left — a,b) Conus aneuretos Hoerle, 1976, xX 2; ¢) C. isomitratus Dall, 1896, x 112; d) C. chipolanus Dall, 1896, x 142; e,f) C. sulculus Dall, 1896, x 112; all from Chipola Formation, Florida. Bottom row, from left: g) Acrosterigma dalli (Heilprin, 1887), a cockle from the Caloosahatchee Formation, Florida, < 1; and Orthaulax gabbi, Dall, 1890, a Chipola Formation strombid. LETTERS: We certainly enjoyed the June Bulletin — oops, AMERICAN CONCHOLOGIST — and I wanted to make a few comments on the article on fluorescence in Pliocene fossils. This is a genuine case of serendipity. Normally, fossils which have just been removed from the ground will not fluoresce — only long exposure to the sun or soaking in sodium hypochlorite (laun- dry bleach) will do the trick. If the author had actually collected at the Sarasota pit, the specimens would not have done anything. But their exposure to the sun while they had been lying out in the woman’s garden is what brought out the fluorescent property. The best naturally-occurring fluorescent fossils we ever found were those at Structure 65-D on the Kissimmee River (Canal) that had been spread out by the construction and left to lie in the sun for months. This was how we originally learned to artificially induce the same effect. The author asks whether this is common to all Pliocene fossils. In fact, it can be induced in any fossil that has not been chemically transformed into calcite. We have been able to induce (by bleach) color in many Eocene shells, and even a few Cretaceous ones. If the reader is interested in seeing other examples, may I suggest: Hoerle, S. E., 1976, The genus Conus (Mollusca: Gastropoda) from the Alum Bluff Group of northwestern Florida: Tulane Stud. Geol. Paleont., v. 12, no. 1, pp. 1-31. (Lower Miocene cones in ‘‘living’’ color.) Vokes, H. E., and E. H. Vokes, 1968, Variation in the genus Orthaulax (Mollusca: Gastropoda): Tulane Stud. Geol., v. 6, no. 2, pp. 71-79 (P. 76 gives a discussion of technique of bleaching and reversing negative to obtain a photographic “‘positive’’ of the color pattern.) Vokes, H. E., 1977, Cardiidae (Mollusca: Bivalvia) from the Chippola formation, Calhoun County, Florida: Tulane Stud. Geol. Paleont., v. 13, no. 4, pp. 143-189. (Many fossil Cardiidae in ‘‘living’’ color.) There have been various other articles in Tulane Studies in Geology and Paleontology over the years in which various species have been figured with ultraviolet patterns. All the best, Emily Vokes ANNOUNCING: The formation of a new group in Venezuela, the Sociedad Venezolana de Malacologia (SOVEMA), for the study of malacology, marine biology, shellcraft, conchology and related scientific pursuits. We extend our congratulations and best wishes for the growing success of this latest addition to the worldwide community of malacology. For more information, write to Dr. Rafael Martinez, President, Sociedad Venezolana de Malacologia, Apartado Postal 47058, Caracas 1041-A, Venezuela. HAVE YOU HEARD: About the Bulletin of Zoological Nomenclature, a quarterly which keeps you up to date on all the nomenclatural developments? Or about the Official Lists and Indexes of Names and Works in Zoology? For information about these publications of interest to the serious amateur, write the International Trust for Zoological Nomenclature, British Museum of Natural History, Cromwell Road, London, SW7 5BD, UK. About the new book on Spondylus, Spiny Oysters of the World — Spondylus by Kevin Lamprell? Available from E. J. Brill, Co., Suite 1004, 1780 Broadway, N.Y., NY 10019 for $18.25 plus $2.50 p/h. i Le Be eet S ; VOLUME 15(4 AMERICAN CONCHOLOGIST PAGE 17 SPOTLIGHT ON LYRIA Figure 1 Figure 4 Figure 5 | Figures 1-3: The rare Lyria cloveriana Weaver, 1963. The larger specimen (left in photos) appeared so distinctive that it might repre- sent a new species, but Emerson and Sage concluded that it prob- ably represents a mature adult specimen with more developed sculpture than any presently known specimens. Left: 76.7mm, live collected off Trincomalee, Sri Lanka in 1983, at 125 feet on a sandy, silty bottom. Right: 61.7mm, dead collected by diver from south Sri Lanka. Both specimens are from Janowsky, Mal de Mer Enter- prises. Figures 4 & 5: Lyria archeri (Angas, 1865) has been recognized by Emerson and Sage as a smaller, darker, shallow water ecological form of Lyria beauii, 45.6mm, on the left, was live collected in a trap in 50-60 fms. off Capesterre, Basseterre, Guadeloupe. Lyria archeri, 37mm, on the right, is from Martinique. Both specimens are from Janowsky, Mal de Mer Enterprises. Figures 6 & 7: The holotypes of two rare Caribbean Lyria described by Emerson in 1985. Left: Lyria russjenseni, taken by a fisherman in a lobster pot off La Paguera, Puerto Rice, 65mm (AMNH #213576). Lyria leonardi from off Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico, trawled in 500 meters, 52mm (AMNH #21375). Figure 6 Figure 7 Florida residents are requested to notify us of their new zip codes. PAGE 18 BOARD TALK From Treasurer, WALTER SAGE: Thanks to all who have sent in their dues renewal for 1988 (slightly over half the current member- ship have responded so far) — your prompt payment will help make our administrative duties less burdensome in the months to come. If you have not sent in your 1988 dues, please do so soon. Some reminders: Please let your editor or membership chairper- son know if you fail to receive an issue of AMERICAN CONCH- OLOGIST or if there is an error in your address label. Also, COA pins, T-shirts and tote bags are available from me. I want to thank Phyllis and Bernard Pipher for all the work they have done for COA. As membership chairpersons, they have made my job easier and they have been great to work with. They will con- tinue to house back issues prior to 1987, so write to them for infor- mation. Please join me in welcoming Bobbie Houchin, the new membership chairperson. From Shell Show Chairman DON DAN: With a full complement of shows scheduled, the 1988 winter & spring shell show line-up appears to be headed towards another banner season. New this year is the Treasure Coast Shell Show in Stuart, Florida. Although Treasure Coast has held members-only club shows, this will be the first openly competitive show. Naples Shell Show leads off the season in new quarters: the Naples Depot, an exhibition hall renovated from an old historical building. Also, for the first time, there will be dealers at the show. There is a new location for the S.W. Florida Shell Show also: the spanking new Sheraton Hotel in Ft. Myers. Also changed is its traditional 3rd-weekend-of-January date, now shifted to mid- February to better cater to winter visitors. The Greater Miami Shell Show will again be held at the spacious North Miami Armory where it was held last year. I have been informed that due to difficulty in securing a suitable place for a shell show, the Palm Beach Show will be a non- competing exhibit for 1988. It is hoped that this show can return to the Palm Beach Mall in 1989 when its renovation will be complete. Then, Palm Beach can resume a competitive format. We welcome back the Long Island Shell Show. Extensive preparations are being made to publicize this rare Northeastern United States show. One would imagine that the potential for suc- cess should be very high due to its location in the most densely populated part of our country. The following list, covering all the events announced in the United States through June 1988, includes the contact address and telephone number through which you can get more information. Jan. 15 - 17 Naples Shell Show Jim Erler/Naples Shell Club P.O. Box 1991 NaplesFL.33939 2 scene ee ee eee: (813) 775-0064 Astronaut Trail Shell Show, Melbourne, FL Jim & Bobbi Cordy 385 Needle Blvd. Mertittils FU 32953 ee eee eee (305) 452-5736 Greater Miami Shell Show, N. Miami, FL BJ Larson 8850 Byron Avenue Surfsides FIZ 33154500. = aes soe eee (305) 554-1981 Broward Shell Show, Pompano Beach, FL Jean Andrews 451 S.E. 15th Avenue Pompano Beach Fl) 33060 Raccctecmc mac eiciera (305) 782-2837 S.W. Florida Shell Show, Ft. Myers, FL Eugene P. Herbert 19168 Meadow Brook Court N.W. NEE tMvers) 1633903 eee eee (813) 731-2405 Sarasota Shell Show, Sarasota, FL June Bailey 813 Bayport Way Long Boat Key, EL 33548ijrrnccsramaiirse crentisiecie (813)383-6657 Palm Beach County Shell Show, W. Palm Beach, FL Phyllis Diegel 143 Alcazar Street Royal Palm Beach, FL 33411 ............0.00005 (305) 798-5351 St. Petersburg Shell Show, Treasure Is., FL Bob & Betty Lipe 440 75th Avenue St. Petersbure Beach: Firemen ita mini (813) 360-0586 Jan. 22 - 24 Jan. 29 - 31 Feb), Feb. 12 - 14 Feb. 19 - 21 Feb. 26 - 28 Feb. 26 - 28 AMERICAN CONCHOLOGIST VOLUME 15(4 Mar. 3- 6 Sanibel Shell Fair, Sanibel, FL Doris H. Platt Sanibel Community Association P.O. Box 76 Sanibel; FL (33957. ccccssrs crores one etnies acisetoratererstoers (813) 472-2511 Marco Is. Shell Club Show VIII, Marco Is., FL Dolly Bergman 58 N. Collier Blvd. Gulfview #1503 Marcoilsland; PIl33937 2. ee eee (813) 642-6595 Treasure Coast Shell Show, Stuart, FL Anita Blondin 1808 Circle Drive Juno; FL33408 | ..5 cts sctrne ete cies omic iter (305) 626-7484 Central Florida Shell Show, Orlando, FL Dave Green 5883 Pitch Pine Drive Orlando} FIV32819\ ate ce er oe oe ae ee eet (305) 345-0286 Greater Georgia Shell Show, Atlanta, GA Henry Close 403 Ansley Villa Drive Atlanta, 'GA:‘ 30324 23 jen ae shane teenie eee (404) 892-6744 St. Louis Shell Show, St. Louis, MO George Karleskint 2007 S. Compton Ave. St Louis; MO 63104. .ccrceco oie oes arreeeoieraeenete (314) 865-0656 Long Island Shell Show, Freeport, NY John & Vi Greenlaw 5 Etna Lane Dix ‘HillssNY-117460x- actieci eerste erie (516) 421-5235 American Malacological Union Annual Meeting, Charleston, SC Richard E. Petit P.O. Box 30 No Myrtle Beach) SG29582 1 pain erent (803) 249-1651 Mar. 9-10 Mar. 19 - 20 Mar. 25 - 27 Apr. 8 - 10 Apr. 22 - 25 Apr. 29 - May 1 Jun. 19 - 24 LATIAXIS UPDATE by David DeLucia Since the appearance of my article, ‘‘Latiaxis Look-Alikes’’ in the September, 1987 COA Bulletin, I have come to a few conclusions that should interest all ‘‘coralliophiles.”’ First of all, the shell pictured as Latiaxis (Babelomurex) fenes- tratus (Kosuge, 1980) is actually Latiaxis (Babelomurex) sibogae Schepman, 1911, an uncommon species that is close to L. echinatus Azuma, 1960. To the best of my knowledge, the shells 1985. being sold by dealers as B. fenestratus at this time are actually B. sibogae. Please note that the illustration in Clover’s Latiaxis Catalog of B. fenestratus is incor- rect as it also portrays B. sibogae. And to further confuse the mat- ter, B. fenestratus is now known as B. wormaldi (Powell, 1971). Secondly, after examining a large series of Latiaxis (Babelo- murex) gemmatus Shikama, 1966 and Latiaxis (Babelomurex) mac- tanica Kosuge, 1979, Iam convinced that Kosuge is right, that they are the same species, with L. gemmatus taking priority as the older of the two names. The shell I pictured in 1984 as L. mactanica was purchased under that name, but after working with it for a while, I feel that it is actually a small Latiaxis (Babelomurex) diadema (A. Adams, 1854), a very common species offered by dealers under the names Latiaxis (Babelomurex) princeps Melvill, 1912 and _ its synonym L. castaneotinctus Kosuge, 1980. I believe both of these names are synonymous with L. diadema. Finally, the shell I incorrectly illustrated as Latiaxis (Babelomurex) kawanishii (Kosuge, 1979) was actually unnamed in 1984. The following year, Sadao Kosuge described it as Latiaxis (Babelomurex) yumimarumai, in honor of his co-author, Massaji Susuki’s daughter Yumi Kaneko ‘‘in commemoration of her mar- riage with Mr. Nobuhiro Kaneko.’’ This shell is quite common in the Philippines, and although similar in some respects to Latiaxis (Babelomurex) tosanus Hirase, 1908, it may deserve to be separated from it at the specific level. Latiaxis yumimarumai Kosuge, VOLUME 15(4 BOOK REVIEWS: NEW CARIBBEAN MOLLUSCAN FAUNAS by Edward J. Petuch, 1987. 154 + 4 pp. 28 + 1 plates. Paperback. CERF, P.O. Box 8068, Charlottesville, VA. $32.50, plus postage. This well-illustrated booklet will help connoisseurs of Caribbean seashells identify many of the interesting new forms and species turning up in offshore waters from Brazil to Florida. 109 new species and five new genera are described, as well as 82 previously described species which are not illustrated in many popular shell books. The paper attempts to straddle both the world of the popular conchologist and the domain of the scientist, but does neither very well. The short bibliography includes such guides as American Sea- shells and the popular books of Jerry Walls, Eli Rios, C. M. Burgess and even Wagner and Abbott’s Standard Catalog of Shells, but fails to include such important revisions as Cernohor- sky’s monograph of the Mitridae. This, and the fact that no ‘anatomy or radula observations are included, probably accounts for so many of the new synonyms and wrong family and generic placements. Some malacologists estimate that only 50% of Petuch’s species are justified, but this reviewer is inclined to think that 25% would be a fairer estimate. I agree with the author, although perhaps not his possible motives, in naming new species after those we wish to honor for their activities in malacology. This adds a bit of history to our nomenclature. The American Malacological Union’s committee on vernacular names frowns on this custom and, indeed, usually refuses to translate these easily remembered names into common English names, e.g., Linda’s Volute, Harland’s Cone, etc. Their objections and fears, however, have some foundation when we see that this author has named 21 new species after Linda Petuch, 11 after Kevan Sunderland and eight after Robert Pace in the same publication. Readers should be cautioned that the so-called ‘‘faunas’’ are really not well-defined faunas, but are an assemblage of localized collecting grounds from which the author has been given ‘‘strange and new species’’ by enthusiastic shell collectors and shell dealers. Unfortunately, the paper is split up into these areas as chapters, so that one has to hunt in six places for a particular genus or family. Only time and scientific research will sort out the wheat from the chaff in this interesting work. Meanwhile, shell dealers and shellers will find it a useful identification tool. — R. T. Abbott A FIELD GUIDE TO MOLLUSCAN SPAWN, Volume 1. by Beatrice E. Winner, 1987. 139 pp., illus. Privately published, E.B.M., P.O. Box 14923, North Palm Beach, FL 33408-0923. Spiral plastic bound. $9.95, plus $1.50 mailing. Each year, the Zoological Record, a journal listing all scientific mollusk papers published around the world for any given year, records about 300 articles on reproduction and an average of 50 references to the spawn of marine mollusks. Yet nowhere can an amateur conchologist or biology student turn to a ready guide or illustrated key to the various kinds of molluscan egg masses com- monly found on our Atlantic shores. Beatrice Winner, a radiological technologist and amateur malac- ologist, has come to our rescue by describing and illustrating the spawn and mating behavior of 46 species of common, shallow- water gastropods, mainly from our southeastern seashores. She first gives a general account of fertilization, reproduction and egg- laying of the gastropods. Then she proceeds to give a description, as well as close-up photographs, of the eggs, capsules and larvae of 38 prosobranchs, five opisthobranchs and three pulmonates, the latter including two Siphonaria False Limpets and one Melampus. A glossary of reproductive terms, two indices and a bibliography with 25 entries completes this handy guide. While this book cannot claim to be scholarly, either from its quality of photography or its presentation of facts, it certainly will be a stimulus to the inquiring minds of young students and answer the poked question of shellers, ‘‘Which mollusk laid those eggs?”’ A similar, illustrated account (not mentioned in her bibliography) AMERICAN CONCHOLOGIST PAGE 19 of 24 Sanibel gastropods was given by Louise Perry in her Marine Shells of the Western Coast of Florida in 1955. The spawn of 37 species were illustrated in the Golden Field Guide, Seashells of North America, although not in the magnified details given by Mrs. Winner. We look forward to her next volume. — R. T. Abbott EXPLORING COLLECTIBLE SHELLS by R. Tucker Abbott Meet Tucker Abbott! The cassette tape Exploring Collectible Shells brings to life his full color guide book, Collectible Florida Shells. Here is Dr. Abbott ‘‘in person’’ talking to you; it is a private ses- sion taking you through the book page by page, commenting on each shell. It is a clean, crisp, perfect quality recording of his voice in which he adds much interesting commentary and information to that already in the pages of the book. There are many species about which he tells: where they live, where to find them, how they feed; he includes descriptions of egg strings or capsules and some biology. Identification differences are pointed out as well as suggestions for pronouncing the Latin names. He tells the origin and meaning of a number of shell names, and names those shells officially adopted by a few of our United States. Edible species are mentioned, and some of his favorite recipes — which we hope will not encourage overcollecting of the less abun- dant of the species named. There are a few late changes and corrections: he notes that the genus Morum has recently been put in the family Harpidae, from the Cassidae, and that Distorsio is now placed in the Ranellidae, from Cymatiidae. We highly recommend this lively, informative discussion of shells and shelling which you will play many times, reviewing different sections. The 90-minute stereo cassette, Exploring Collectible Shells, plus a copy of the 6’’ x 9’’, 64 page, full color book, Collectible Florida Shells, is only $12.95 postpaid. If you already have the book, the cassette alone is $8.95 postpaid. Order from American Malaco- logists, P.O. Box 1192, Burlington, MA 01803. George Raeihle, New York Shell Club Notes WE SHALL MISS: Ruth Chesler, a founding member and past president of the Broward Shell Club and chairperson of the 1986 Ft. Lauder- dale COA Convention, who died August 26 in Lautoka, Fiji. Minnie Lee Campbell, longtime Jacksonville Shell Club member, past president, shell show chairperson and editor of the Shell-O-Gram, who died July 13, 1987. AMU REPRINTS Announcing the first in AMU’s reprint series of out-of-print molluscan literature, Roding’s 1798 Museum Boltenianum, a reference that must be used by all molluscan taxonomists. Soft- bound, viii + 199 pages. $15 to AMU members, $20 to non- members. Also available is the reprint of Binney’s 1864 The Complete Writings of Constantine Smaltz Rafinesque, on Recent and Fossil Conchology, softbound, 98 pages, 3 plates. $6 to AMU members, $8 to non-members. Write Paula Mikkelsen, Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution, 5600 Old Dixie Highway, Fort Pierce, FL 33450-9719. PAGE 20 FORT MYERS FEVER: 1988 CONVENTION UPDATE by Mili Backus The 16th Annual 1988 COA Convention will be hosted by South- west Florida Conchologist Society (A mouthful, to be sure, but a 20-year old club with lots of shell collecting pizzaz and COA Trophies to prove it, plus warm hearts and lots of southern hos- pitality. From now on, we’ll refer to the club as SWFCS, okay?) The dates to circle on your calendar are July 11-15. The Conven- tion will begin with registration on Monday, July 11 and close with the Banquet on the 15th. But. . . as an added feature on Saturday, July 16, a field trip to the Sarasota Fossil Pit is scheduled for those who decide to stay over. Headquarters for the Convention is the magnificent Sheraton Harbor Place Hotel, on the banks of the Caloosahatchee River, overlooking picturesque Fort Myers Yacht Basin. On this spot 100 years ago, the original Fort Myers was founded. Why not plan your summer vacation around the COA Conven- tion dates? This Golden Area has so much to offer — shimmering white beaches, shells, fishing, sailing, sparkling seas, luxurious tropical landscapes, and gleaming coastal barrier islands encircling Fort Myers like a jeweled necklace. The impressive Harbor Place Hotel has 452 suites, free parking to Convention guests, outdoor and indoor pools, tennis, a recrea- tion dome, lounges with live entertainment, restaurants, boutiques, shops, beauty salons, boat rentals and cruises, and so much more. It is situated within walking distance of the Thomas Edison Winter Home, and just a leisurely stroll from the recently restored downtown Fort Myers and River Front, areas that offer excellent dining and intriguing shopping. The SWFCS COA Convention Committees are having a grand ‘‘Sweet 16 time’’ planning programs, field trips and sightseeing jaunts to entertain COA members next July. There’s so much to do, to see, to experience, to enjoy, that it’s difficult to keep it con- tained within the five scheduled Convention Days. It is certain a fascinating COA Banquet in the gorgeous hotel ballroom anchors down the closing end of the Convention, and Registration is set for Monday, July 11 — but in between . .. LOOK OUT! Pertinent in- formation will be following along, clickety-clack . . . from now til July. SWFCS will be waiting to greet you at the Sweet Sixteen COA Convention in Fort Myers! OOPS! Sue Stephens notes that the fossil labelled Murex florifer on the cover of the June issue of the AMERICAN CONCHOLOGIST is actually Chicoreus floridanus E. H. Vokes, 1965. Richard Goldberg’s article in the September issue, Unusual Bulimulidae from Peru, contained two errors: p. 9, col. 1 — Bruere reduced 23, not 233 groups to synonyms; and p. 10, col. 1 — cap- tion to B. elatus, the size range should be 14-17mm. AMERICAN CONCHOLOGIST VOLUME 15(4 PIN MONEY... The New York Shell Club, after a period of several years, again has a supply of their club pins. Those wishing to purchase pins may contact Theta Lourbacos, Treasurer, New York Shell Club, 66 W. 94th Street, Apt. 20C, New York, NY 10025. Using the official state shell, the Scotch Bonnet, Phalium granulatum, North Carolina Shell Club member Norma Mer- rill Hattman has designed a new pin for the club. North Carolina was the first state in the U.S. to establish an official state shell on May 28, 1965. Order from Alta Van Landingham, P.O. Box 542, Hampstead, NC 28443. $4.50 The logo for North Texas Conchological Society’s new club pin was designed in 1976 by Linda Eskew, Gail Canon and the artists at the Dallas Museum of Natural History. It super-imposes a Banded Tulip and an am- monite fossil on the outline of the State of Texas, reflecting the club’s land-locked status as well as their marine interests. The pins may be purchased for $3 from Club Treasurer Pauline De Morcia, 4104 South- western Blvd., Dallas, TX 75225. Does your club have pins for sale or exchange? Send details to AMERICAN CONCHOLOGIST for publication in future issues. PALMETTO SHELL CLUB After returning from a Kirk Anders shelling trip to Eleuthera last July and hearing about the activities of the Jacksonville Shell Club and others, I began to wonder, ‘‘Why couldn’t we have a club here in Columbia?’’ With a lot of help from a journalist cousin who writes a weekly feature column and from Norm Paschall, Gary Gordon, Dean Webber, Don Young, Judy Earl, Dick Petit and Margie Morgan, the Palmetto Shell Club of Columbia, South Carolina was born (after a few labor pains) on August 13th, 1987, with thirteen members — no, we’re not superstitious. Our membership is now up to 43 and still growing. Our October field trip was to Wilmington, North Carolina, to the North Carolina Shell Show. In November, we had 25 signed up for a trip to Edisto Island, S.C. Suggestions from any COA member concerning the continuance of a successful club will be greatly appreciated and warmly received. We have a good group and we’re going to keep it that way. Many thanks again to the friends and shellers who helped us. We couldn’t have gotten off the ground without their assistance. Our meetings are held the 2nd Sunday at 3 p.m. at the 7 Oaks Park near Irmo, a surburb of Columbia. We welcome any and all who would like to join us! Carol C. Boswell, President Palmetto Shell Club 155 Dorset Drive Columbia, South Carolina 29210 (803) 772-1906 IF YOU MOVE, be sure to send us your change of address im- mediately. Bulk mail isn’t forwarded and your AMERICAN CONCHOLOGIST will not reach you. VOLUME 15(4 AMERICAN CONCHOLOGIST PAGE 2] AMU 1988 ANNUAL MEETING pLACOL Og Yo P- 7 The AMU 1988 Annual Meeting will be held in Charleston, South Carolina, June 19-26, 1988 at the Radisson Francis Marion Hotel. Three Symposia will be presented: Applications of Nucleic Acid Techniques to Molluscan Systematics, convened by Dr. M. G. Harasewych; Systematics and Evolution of Non- marine Mollusks, convened by Dr. Robert Hershler; and History of Malacology, convened by Dr. W. Backhuys. Marine, non-marine and fossil field trips are being plan- ned. For information, contact R. E. Petit, P.O. Box 30, North Myrtle Beach, SC 29582 (telephone 803-249-1454; evenings 803-249-1651). HAVE YOU HEARD: About Malacology Data Net, a ‘‘new and unique journal devoted to the prompt dissemination of scholarly, innovative and timely in- formation in malacology?’’ Six numbers a year, edited by Arthur H. Clarke. $14.50 per year from ECOSEARCH, Inc., 325 E. Bayview, Portlant TX 78374. IT'S EASY TO SAY CREPIDULA! (kreh PID’ yu _ Juh) HOW TO PRONOUNCE FAVORITE WORLDWIDE SHELL NAMES! CONES, COWRIES, MITERS, MUREX, VOLUTES, AND MORE! 80 Genera, 2800 Species -PLUS A COMPREHENSIVE GLOSSARY OF SCIENTIFIC TERMS- By Jean M. Cate & Selma Raskin $19.95 each Postage & Handling: Add $1.50 per book Air, $3.00; Overseas, $4.50 6% Tax in California Limited Hardback Copies @ $29.95 Pretty Penny Press, Inc. P. O. Box 3890 Santa Monica California 90403 SPECIMEN * BUY * SELL * TRADE e Worldwide Specimen Shells e Free Price List with Size & Grade e Satisfaction Guaranteed or Money Refunded ¢ Dedicated to Service, Integrity and Reliability 1094 Calle Empinado ¢ Nocato, California 94949 Dan Spelling ¢ (415) 382-1126 Advertising in the Bulletin is presented as a service to our membership, but does not automatically imply Bulletin endorsement of the advertisers. Advertising space is available at the rate of $75.00 for a half page; yearly rate (4X): $275.00; quarter page: $50.00; yearly rate: $175.00; eighth page: $35.00; yearly rate: $115.00; minimum ad (1’’): $20.00; yearly rate: $75.00. Camera-ready copy only will be accepted at this rate. (except for the 1’’ minimum size). There will be an additional charge for halftones and non- camera ready copy. Copy may be changed for any issue. Deadlines are month prior to publication months (ie., by January 31st for the March Bulletin, etc.) Send advertising copy and fees to The Editor, 1222 Holsworth Lane, Louisville, KY 40222. Displays at Most Shell Shows Donald Dan Selected Specimen Shells 2620 Lou Anne Court W. Friendship, MD 21794 by appointment - (301) 489-7353 Inquiries welcome - no list PHILLIP W. CLOVER Dealer in World Wide Sea Shells since 1960 Specializing ww in Latiaxis, Murex, Morums, Marginella Mitra, Conus, Cypraea, Voluta, Cancellaria, Typhis, Trophons, and out of print Sea Shell Books. Phone # 707-996-6960 Write for Free Price Lists. P.O. Box 83 - Glen Ellen - Calif. 95442 NEW AUDIO SHELL CASSETTE EXPLORING COLLECTIBLE SHELLS (90 minutes) “It’s like a guided shelling tour of Florida and the West Indies. ’’ “It’s like attending a mini-course in conchology.”’ “We highly recommend this lively, informative discussion of shells. . .’’ (N.Y. Shell Club Notes) Cassette with 64 page, all color book - $12.95 Collectible IFILOIRIIDA\ SIHUELILS R. Tucker Abbott, Ph.D. INDIVIDUAL CASSETTES If you already have these books, you may order the tape cassettes 4 separately: ‘ Pea | Exploring Collectible Shells $8.95 Say It Right $7.95 ORDER NOW: AMERICAN MALACOLOGISTS P.O. Box 1192 KNOW YOUR SHELLS! Burlington, Mass. 01803 U.S.A. WHERE TO FIND THEM FIND YOUR OWN SHELLS! « HOW TO CLEAN SHELLS ¢ NEW CARIBBEAN MOLLUSCAN FAUNAS by Edward J. Petuch A new pictorial atlas comprising 28 plates, of new, rare and seldom-seen Caribbean molluscs of most of the major popular families. Included are: @ 107 new species described for the first time @ Discussions and illustrations of long-lost Caribbean species, such as Cypraea aubryana, Conus commodus, Conus sphacelatus, Conus sanguineus, Conus hedgesi, and others. ® Over 120 rare species illustrated, often for the first time since their original descriptions in the 1800’s. A must for marine biologists, Caribbean molluscan spe- cialists, and collectors of worldwide Conidae, Cyp- raeidae, Muricidae, and Olividae. Large format (18.5 x 11 inches), 29 B/W plates, 168 pages (soft cover). US$ 38.50 (Prepaid), plus $ 2.50 postage and handling. Order from: Coastal Education & Research Foundation /CERF] P.O. Box 8068 Charlottesville, VA 22906, USA ORDER BY MAIL: P.O. box 68 Shalimar, Florida WISTARC2ei9 Phone: (904) 244-5646 AMERICAN CONCHOLOGIST *Top Rated in Recently Published “Guide” To U.S. Mail Order Shell Dealers *Specializing in Personalized Service *Offering High Quality Shells at Reasonable Prices (the word “rare” need not mean “expensive”!) *Marine Land and Fresh Water Fossils “Buy Sell Trade *Free Monthly Price List We are not the oldest nor the largest, but we strive to be She Best! VOLUME 15(4 LEONARD C. HILL 6713 S.W. 113th Place Miami, Florida 33173 (305) 271-0650 QUALITY WORLD WIDE SHELLS FREE LISTS! Florida-Caribbean Specialists BUY - SELL - EXCHANGE The best in Cones, Murex, Miters, Olives & Cypraea DOV PELED First Source and Specialist for Red Sea Shells Very large choice, over 1300 specimens ap. World wide specimens. Exchange offers welcome. New Price List on request. 1, Zvolon St., K. Tivon, 36000 ISRAEL or VISIT OUR SHOP “Shells N’ Things” 142 Miracle Strip Pkwy. Fr. Walton Beach, FL USA. 32548 Phone: (904) 244-5646 VOLUME 15(4 AMERICAN CONCHOLOGIST PAGE 23 House of Quality and Service a RICHARD M. KURZ T) aw 1575 NORTH 118th STREET WAUWATOSA, WI 53226 U.S.A. Dealer in Fine and Rare Specimen Shells of Superior Quality The very best shells, at the very best prices WRITE FOR FREE PRICE LIST SHELLS BOUGHT, SOLD AND TRADED LARGEST MAIL ORDER SEASHELL DEALER IN THE U.S.A. SHELLS « CABINETS « BAGS & BOXES « BOOKS Finally! A complete guide to Olives. ATLAS OF THE LIVING OLIVE SHELLS OF THE WORLD by E. J. Petuch and D. M. Sargent THE SHELL STORE 440 - 75th Avenue St. Petersburg Beach, FL 33706 Between Blind Pass Road and Gulf Boulevard Phone 360-0586 SHELLS — OUR BUSINESS AND OUR PLEASURE ROBERT LIPE Conus spurius atlanticus BETTY LIPE Send $1.00 (Applied to your first order) and receive a COMPUTER PRINTOUT OF OVER 800 LOTS OF SPECIMEN SHELLS. (Most families represented.) d Specimen Shells for Advanced Collectors from T. C. LAN P.O. BOX 34-35, TAIPEI, TAIWAN All described species, subspecies and color forms (over 300) are illustrated in full color. Zoogeographic review with 32 maps showing species distributions worldwide for accurate identification. New systematics recognizing 19 subgeneric groupings—10 described for the first time! A valuable tool for shell professionals and amateurs. Order yours today, at the special introductory price of only US$68.50 plus $2.50 postage and handling. Coastal Education & Research Foundation [CERF] Post Office Box 8068 Charlottesville, VA 22906 Dealer inquiries welcome. PAGE 24 3 WORLDWIDE % SPECIMEN SHELLS Wide Variety of Select Quality Specimens- gy “Knowledgeable & Courteous Service” : Write for Free Illustrated List Richard Goldberg /Worldwide Specimen Shells. y "e P.O. Box 137, Fresh Meadows, N.Y., 11865, U.S.A. (718) 357-6467 HEY! SHAMARON’S MOVED TO THE SUNSHINE STATE! Marty Gill BJ Larson hamaron Dealer in Fine Quality Collectors’ Specimen Shells 4540 SW 97th Ave. Miami, FL 33165 - USA (305) 554-1981 EGYPT AND THE RED SEA May 12-23, 1988 $2900 includes roundtrip airfare, NY to Cairo, deluxe hotels, meals, boat trips, sightseeing, and loads of shells. GRENADA August, 1988 Price of $1195 includes roundtrip airfare Miami-Grenada, cottages on the beach, car rentals for exploring, sightseeing, and good shell collecting!! oe ee eee sy of MALDIVES REPUBLIC of MALDIVES A Beautiful Addition... to your Shell Collection! REPUBLIC from AITUTAKI to ZAMBIA CONUS to MUREX We’re able to fill your needs - send us your want list! Price list available on request ee ee ee ee 4 ee ere er sess eT fy See You at COA Jack and Myrna Golden * GOLDEN PHILATELICS x Post Office Box 484, Cedarhurst, NY 11516 (516) 791-1804 ASDA COA LISC SHELL CLUB TOURS Alta Van Landingham P.O. Box 542, Hampstead, NC 28443 U.S.A. (919) 686-7537 Let’s Go Shelling!! ELEUTHERA June, 1988 $875 includes roundtrip..airfare, Miami to Eleuthera, cottages on the beach, car rentals, expert shelling guide, and more! MAJURO, MARSHALL ISLANDS Nov. 1988 A really quiet and unique island, not tourist- developed as yet, with 60 miles of beautiful beach and shelling!! My trips are geared for SHELLING! In any manner you choose, beach walking, snorkeling, diving — it is all available. Prices are approximate at this time, although | do not expect much change. Trips are limited to 15 people, most of these shellers coming from the many shell clubs around the country. Please write for full details. VOLUME 15(4 Ge y AMERICAN CONCHOLOGIST QUARTERLY BULLETIN OF THE CONCHOLOGISTS OF AMERICA,..INC. , .. VOL. 16, NO.1 AUD ONE ES as ONCHOLOGISTS OF AMERICA, INC. In 1972, a group of shell collectors saw the need for a nationut organization devoted to the interests of shell collectors — for amateur collectors interested in the beauty of shells, their scientific aspects and the collecting and preservation of mollusks. The membership includes novices, as well as advanced collectors, scientists and shell dealers from around the country and world. An annual convention is held each year in a dif- ferent part of the country. OFFICERS President: Donald J. Young 11690 Parkview Lane, Seminole, FL 34642 Vice-President: Alan Gettleman 4045 Central Lane, Granite City, IL 62040-3032 Treasurer: Walter E. Sage, III P.O. Box 8105, Saddle Brook, New Jersey 07662 Secretary: Mary Ellen Akers 1244 Edenville Ave., Clearwater, Florida 34624 Trophy Chairman: Donald Dan 2620 Lou Anne Court, W. Friendship, Maryland 21794 AMERICAN CONCHOLOGIST Editor: Lynn Scheu 1222 Holsworth Lane, Louisville, Kentucky 40222 Associate Editor: Margarette Perkins 2121 Dogoon Drive, Louisville, Kentucky 40223 Art Director: John Timmerman 79 Knickerbocker Drive, Belle Mead, NJ 08502 Advertising Manager: Walter Sage P.O. Box 8105, Saddle Brook, NJ 07662 EDITORIAL BOARD: R. Tucker Abbott Donald Dan Charles Glass AMERICAN CONCHOLOGIST, an official publication of the Conchologists of America, Inc., is issued free to members. Opinions expressed in signed articles are opi- nions of the authors, and not necessarily those of Conchologists of America. It is published quarterly in March, June, September and December by Beechmont Press, Louisville, KY. Postmaster: send address changes to the Editor. Articles in AMERICAN CONCHOLOGIST are not copyrighted; we welcome republi- cation, with proper credit. Its editors solicit comment, letters and articles of interest to shell collectors, subject to editing. All correspondence should be addressed to the Editor. MEMBERSHIP Memberships run for the calendar year, January through December. Late member- Ships shall be retroactive to January. INDIVIDUAL (per year) $10.00; FAMILY & CLUB (receiving one AMERICAN CONCHOLOGIST) $12.50; OVERSEAS (Air Mail Postage) $20.00. New members send check or money order to the MEMBERSHIP CHAIRPERSON Bobbie Houchin, 2644 Kings Highway, Louisville, KY 40205. Renewals are sent to the TREASURER. Back issues are available from Mrs. Houchin @ $2.50 each. Richard Goldberg « Walter Sage Covers: Coincidentally, two superb photos of land snails endemic to the same restricted habitat in Cuba were submitted independently by two different people. Both snails have the unusual feature of hollow spines, and both live in the same habitat, clinging to high rocks in the hot sun, waiting for shade to emerge and feed. Yet they are not even remotely related; one is an operculate snail, the other a pulmonate. Front — Blaesospira echinus (Pfeiffer, 1864), Ensenada de Miranda, west base of El Queque, Vinales, Pinar del Rio Province; collected by M. K. Jacobson, July, 1953. A spectacular 7mm operculate land snail in the family Annulariidae, this is the type of its genus. The hollow spines are arranged in four rows. Photo by Richard Goldberg. Back — Bishop Elliott’s Urocop (Gongylostoma elliotti) (Poey, 1858), a collector’s treasure abundant only in the sheer limestone cliffs of the Sierra de Guane in Pinar del Rio Province, Cuba. This inch-long shell is bedecked with minute, paddle-shaped hollow spines. Photo by R. Tucker Abbott. (See page 3). OUR GUEST EDITORIAL Let us welcome our guest editors of the March Issue, R. Tucker Abbott and Richard L. Goldberg, who kindly helped organize and edit much of this number. It deals with land shells, not the forte of your regular editor. We usually associate Dr. Abbott with the study of marine mollusks, but his career also includes a stint with the U.S. Navy during World War II as a medical malacologist doing research on freshwater and land shells. He has described new species of ter- restrial snails from Christmas Island in the Indian Ocean to the Marianas in the Pacific. Richard Goldberg is well known to many of you as past president of COA and former editor of the COA Bulletin. An extremely knowledgeable amateur student of terrestrials, he has travelled widely in search of land shells, throughout the United States, exten- sively in the Caribbean, and to Greece. He is also the foremost dealer in land shells in the U.S. The seven full-color plates in this issue are the result of the generosity of several dedicated COA members. Dr. Alfredo Romeu is a lover of Cuban snails who now lives in Jacksonville, Florida. Archie Jones of Miami is a well-recognized expert on the Everglades Tree Snail, Liguus fasciatus. Their financial support happily coincides with Dr. Abbott’s near-completion of his new Compendium of Land Shells. Our seven color plates are a preview of this forthcoming (hopefully in 1989) companion to his Compen- dium of Seashells. We thank you, gentlemen. — Lynn Scheu Dear COA Reader: Our grand hobby and science of conchology, long in the fore- front of natural history studies, is being threatened these days by two malaises — the increasing destruction and pollution of our natural surroundings in almost every corner of the earth, — and an uneasy feeling among us shell enthusiasts that collecting is becom- ing an unpopular assault upon molluscan populations. Soaring prices of rare marine shells and the multiplication of names by amateur workers are making some of us uncomfortable about seashell collecting. But relief is only an arm’s length away. We’re beginning to reawaken the old and favorite pursuit of the land shells of meadows, hillsides, jungles and remote deserts. During the late 1890’s and early 1900’s, land shell collecting was as popular as today’s search for cones and cowries. Most of us are not aware that there are more species of land shells than of bivalves, chitons, tusks and cephalopods combined. Today, more professional biologists are studying terrestrial gastropods than are doing research in seashells. In fact, there are twice as many papers published each year on non-marine shells as on marine species. Why this new and sudden interest in land shells? For one thing, they’re almost everywhere. The average backyard in Europe or the Americas harbors about ten species. A trek into nearby hills or mountains or a search in the outskirts of a picnic area can be a visit to the home grounds of dozens of land species, usually overlooked by novice collectors. If anything is going to spark interest in protecting the few forests and jungles left on this planet, it is going to be a widespread interest in protecting our tree and ground snails. The danger of over- collecting is minimal compared to the natural effects of predators and the consequences of cutting down and bulldozing away our wild vegetation. To further this interest in terrestrial mollusks several fine works have been published in recent years. Pilsbry’s 1948 Land Mollusca of North America, Walter F. Webb’s 1948 Foreign Land Shells, Kerney & Cameron’s 1983 A Field Guide to the Land Snails of Brit- ain and Northwest Europe, and more recently Parkinson’s Tropical Landshells of the World are only a few of the available identifica- tion sources. In this issue of American Conchologist you will find tantalizing accounts of Florida Tree Snails by Archie Jones, Cuban Polymitas by Alfredo Romeu, and the adventures of Rich Goldberg in the Cockpit parishes of Jamaica. We hope you’ll take the time to look up from your glamorous cones and pectens and your alabaster- white fossils to view a few of our brilliantly colored land shells. —R. Tucker Abbott VOLUME 16(1 IN SEARCH OF BISHOP ELLIOTT’S UROCOP by John B. Henderson, Jr. American Diplomat (1879-1923) In the course of a number of collecting trips to the Antilles for land shells I recall various instances of possibly more than average interest to those who know the delights of a field naturalist. Wherever some particular out-of-the-way locality was visited, often there would be some one species sought and desired above all others, generally a species of very local distribution, and which on account of rarity or beauty inspired us to greater efforts to find. So it was in the case of that splendid big and lusty Pleurodonte gigantes at La Ferriere in Haiti, and of Pl. cognata in a little valley in extreme western Jamaica. Cuba is full of such preferred and desirable game, but probably the special hunt for Urocoptis elliotti* and its near ally, U. dautzenbergiana, proved to be the most strenuous of all similar experiences. Mr. Charles T. Simpson [Smithsonian Institution conchologist] was with me at the time in Havana, and we were planning for a dash somewhere into the interior, when our excellent friend, Dr. Carlos de la Torre [mayor of Havana and Polymita expert], a perfect encyclopedia of Cuban mollusks, suggested we might try for that remarkable pair of Urocoptid twins that are reported to live on two mountains near Guane, and which had eluded all search since they were originally found by some fortunate collector many years ago. We lost no time in getting to Guane. Besides our special reason for going there, we well knew the region to be rich in that splendid fauna of the inner range of the Sierra de los Organos. There occur the lovely Eutrochatella regina, the parraiana group of Helices, a host of Urocoptids, fine operculates and some peculiarly painted Liguus. Doctor Torre couldn’t resist the temptation at the last second, so boarded the train with us. The doctor is always a most welcome and charming companion. We located out mountains, which are in sight from Guane. One of them is the ‘‘Sierra de Guane,’’ where presumably lived in security from prowling naturalists the strange dautzenbergiana. Now we simply had to have those fellows. We perpared for their capture with the care and thought that mountain climbers give to their campaigns against loftier peaks. On horseback and by volanta we proceeded to the base of the Sierra and began our recognizance, but without a sign, not a ‘‘bone,”’ of elliotti. There were, however, no end of other things, «nd the day was made glorious by a catch of great size and interest. !t is a day that fairly shines in memory, and I have lived it over in retrospect with Simpson many times since. *See back cover. Named for son of Episcopalian Bishop Stephen Elliott of Charleston, South Carolina, also named Stephen. AMERICAN CONCHOLOGIST PAGE 3 The next morning bright and early we made our second attack. It was apparent that some climbing must be done. Far up on one side a great white limestone escarpment projects out from the mass of tropical vegetation covering the mountains, like the forehead of some great giant of the Sierra. It is perpendicular, forbidding and dangerous. Buzzards constantly circle about it, and it is likely to be the nesting place of millions of fretful wasps; but just in such places live some of Cuba’s very best molluscan offerings. I felt it must be attained, so up I ‘‘goes,’’ scrambling, slipping, clinging to trees, crawling along limbs, only stopping now and then to catch a breath or pick up some appealing Liguus. Up until the blue Caribbean glistened on the horizon and the plains of Pinar del Rio lay stretched out like some huge map. At last the base of the cliff was attained, but no elliotti as yet. Through narrow crevasses I wriggled on up until finally, quite done for and exhausted. I lay for a while upon a little projecting rock-shelf to cool off and to speculate upon the folly of ever leaving a happy home, etc. Then, not suddenly, but gradually, I began to take in a remarkable sight. It required some moments to acquire what the psychologists call the ‘‘presentation’’ of the sight, but soon my heart began to thump and my excitement to grow until I almost feared to trust myself alone upon such a height. All over the rocks, on the perpendicular cliffs, and exposed to the glare of a dazzling sun, were myriads of U. elliotti, clinging in their peculiar fashion to the surface, all alive and in finest condi- tion of unbroken spires, and that color tone of health possessed only by fresh, living shells. But now arose the problem as to how to gather them. It takes one hand to hold a box, another to pick specimens from their moor- ings, and it requires two more to hang on to the wall of smooth rock. Fortunately there was a breast pocket in my shirt, and with a twig I could keep it gaping open. Then with my lips I tenderly gathered them one by one, slowly and cautionsly, and spat them into that happy pocket. Had any telescope been trained upon me, I would only have fur- nished one further evidence of hopeless mental condition, for in- deed, what sane man would spend an hour, or a moment as for that, fondly kissing a lofty cliff in Pinar del Rio? If any reader of The Nautilus cares to take a chance on that telescope down below, and also the risk of a long fall, I can assure him that there are still a hundred thousand fine U. elliotti waiting for him right there on the Sierra de Guane. — from The Nautilus, September, 1911 CHARLES J. HERTWECK 1915-1987 Our beloved Charlie Hertweck passed away on December 3. Charlie inducted many of us not only into the club, but to all facets of shell collecting, sharing his vast knowledge and love of nature with generosity and friendliness. As president of the Sarasota Shell Club for five years, his humor entertained us while his hard work sustained us and his tact kept us together. His activities greatly benefitted the COA too, as a member at each annual meeting and while serving as Director. Who can forget the slide shows by ‘‘the old Fossil’? about the wonders to be found not only at the Sarasota pit, but all over the world? It is fitting that the lovely exhibit of fossils he and Violet showed last season should have won so many awards, including the prized Smithsonian at the St. Petersburg Show. A final tribute to this man who loved shells is the naming of a fossil mollusk, Ecphora hert- weckorum, for him by his friend Dr. Edward Petuch in the latest issue of THE NAUTILUS. Charlie, we’ll miss you! — Peggy Williams, Sarasota Shell Club Newsletter, 1/88 AMERICAN CONCHOLOGI PAGE 4 S VOLUME 16(1) LAND SHELLING ON THE ISLAND OF JAMAICA by Richard L. Goldberg Best known for resort hotels and Reggae music, Jamaica’s easy access and good climate make it a major Caribbean tourist spot. My interest in Jamaica dates back to 1971 when I first traveled to the island as a novice shell collector with virtually no knowledge that land shells existed there. My memories of that first trip include befriending a local MoBay (Montego Bay) diver who took me shell- ing in his homemade dinghy to some of Jamaica’s finest reefs. Years later I was surprised to learn that Jamaica harbors a fascinating land shell fauna larger than that of any other com- parable land mass. Thinking of my first trip and what I might have found if I had known, I promised myself a landshell collecting trip there. But I knew nothing about the island, or where to find this diverse and beautiful fauna. I found a paucity of literature on the 500 species of Jamaican land shells. C. B. Adams published preliminary descriptions of 360 species in the mid-1800’s, intending a monograph illustrating and fully describing them later. His colleague, Edward Chitty, described another 30 species, also without illustrations. Adams died at 39 of yellow fever, monograph incomplete. Since then, scattered papers on Jamaican land shells have appeared in scientific journals, a relatively small number, considering the size of the fauna. The data gleaned from these papers, though, gave me a springboard for my first excursion. Mobility is paramount to amassing a good collection of Jamaican land shells. Many species have limited ranges — only one mountain or valley in a few cases — while others are widespread throughout the island, but tend to vary considerably. Jamaica is only 144 miles long by 49 miles at its widest point, so going from point A to point B may seem easy. The island’s ‘‘Class A’’ roads Photos by Richard Goldberg Jamaican operculates: Aperostoma (Cycladamsia) seminudum (C. B. Adams, 1851) Cockpit Country, 24mm [top]; Para- chondria (Parachondrella) columna (Wood, 1828) Unity Valley, St. Ann’s Par., 19mm [bottom left]; and Adamsiella miran- da (C. B. Adams, 1849) from Comfort Hall, Trelawny Par., 21 mm [right]. 50mm. Unique Camaenidae Thelidomus aspera (Fer., 1821) with white color and granular surface, 47mm; Pleurodonte carmelita (Fer., 1821), the only Jamaican Pleurodontid without apertural dentition, 42mm and Pleuro- donte chemnitziana (Pfeiffer, 1846), are well-paved two lane routes linking the major towns. But they are mainly coastal roads, and the best collecting is inland; so one must use ‘‘Class B’’ roads, which vary from good to poor depen- ding upon the parish. Yet it is the roads listed as ‘‘Class C,’’ ‘‘Other,’’ and ‘‘Motorable Track or Footpath,”’ that pass through the snail-rich rural inland areas. These are treacherous at best. It may take four days, with stops along the way to sample land snail fauna, to go from Manchioneal on the extreme east coast to Negril on the west, using inland routes. During one trip criss-crossing the island, I clocked over 2,000 miles on my rental car, with just two flat tires! I strongly suggest getting a set of Jamaican Government Geological Survey Maps, from the Survey Department in Kingston. Going inland with one of the popular gas station road maps can leave one hopelessly lost in a maze of unmarked roads. Survey maps aren’t foolproof either. While exploring some of the low- elevation areas of the John Crow Mountains in the east, we took a road clearly shown looping from Hope Bay east to Port Antonio on the north shore. It metamorphosed, after five miles and two hours, from a ‘‘Class C’’ road to a ‘‘Motorable Footpath,’’ and then to nonexistent! The largest concentration of landshell species are in limestone- rich central and western Jamaica. Here the landscape changes fre- quently: fields bordered by rolling stone fences, dry limestone cliffs, shady forested hillsides, moist mid-level rain forests, rural villages, bauxite mining fields, rapid rivers flowing through deep gorges, and expansive vistas from high tortuous mountain roads, with altitudes varying from sea level to over 2,000 feet! On the other hand, the John Crow and the Blue Mountains Jamaican pulmonates: Sagda spei Pilsbry & Brown, 1910, Trainline, St. Amnn’s Par., 20mm [top left]; Varicella procera (C. B. Adams, 1849) center of Cockpit Country, 24mm _ [right];Urocoptis ambigua (C. B. Adams, 1849) Comfort Hall, Trelawny Par., 29mm [bottom left]; and Dialeuca nemo- raloides (C. B. Adams, 1845) Unity Valley, St. Anh’s Par., 16mm [right]. — [from top] VOLUME 16(1) AMERICAN CONCHOLOGIST PAGE 5 (highest elevation: 7,400 feet) make the eastern parishes extremely mountainous, but their shale and igneous rock makes them less suitable for snails. Collecting through these mountains, one finds fewer species of snails, though a few endemics occur: Pleurodonte carmelita, and the malleated P. chemnitziana, two of the larger and rarer Jamaican species. The jungle and cloud forests above 4,000 feet are a maze of tangled vegetation, towering canopies, seemingly endless precipitation and muddy, oozy trails — a challenge for even the most seasoned land shell collector. The payoff for attempting a trek, though, is contact with a pristine part of Jamaica, and a true breath of fresh air. It does get quite cold for Jamaica — as low as 56° F. in the late afternoon! Much of the lower elevation forests of the Blue Mountains (1500-300’) have been cut away to plant the famous Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee, reputed to be the best in the world. The snailing here is quite poor. But the John Crow Mountains to the east have not been affected by the slash-and-burn agriculture that is destroy- ing much of the tropics today, and a scattered surface strata of limestone correlates with an increase of terrestrial species here. But, be warned! The Geological Survey Maps do not even show foot trails through much of the John Crows. And after following a Jamaican youth through some of these forests, I know why these treacherous mountains have been left untouched. On Jamaican trips in 1985, 1986, and 1987, I collected at over 150 stations. Without a doubt, my most prolific and fascinating collecting was in the primitive and untouched Cockpit Country, a 10 x 20 mile natural wonder. Made up of a karst topography of pitfalls and potholes carved out of limestone, it is virtually isolated from the outside world. Sheer cliffs, thick forests and camouflaged sink holes are just a few of the natural hazards. No wonder the Maroons, descendants of escaped slaves from the 1700’s, live along the fringes of the Cockpit Country, cutting themselves off from the outside world and its laws. With district names like ‘‘Me No Sen You No Come,” and the town of Quickstep in the District of Look Behind, many legends developed about the Cockpit Country. No roads and few charted trails make entering without a local guide from The Compendium of Land Shells unwise. The few trails that do lead through are quite dangerous. Spending the entire day inside the Cockpit Country north of Quickstep, we did not see another human being. Travel books warn that the Maroons are not fond of visitors into their isolated oasis. There are no dangerous insects or reptiles to contend with in the Cockpit Country, just annoying ones. The mosquito population is offensive, so a strong pump-spray mosquito repellant is man- datory. Sturdy water-proof hiking boots, a back pack with collect- ing receptacles, drinking water and a first aid kit are also musts. Gloves help avoid a painful sting from a small bristle-leaf plant locally called ‘‘courage’’ — you will need plenty if you rub against it.! The well-conditioned collector could walk the entire width of the Cockpit Country, from Quickstep on the south, along the Pantrep- ant Trail to Windsor Cave on the north, but he would have to have a vehicle waiting at trail’s end. To traverse the Pantrepant Trail takes a full day, without stopping. The trails are a series of steep, up-and-down, muddy tracks, following the Cockpits. The altitude between the bottom and top of a cockpit varies as much as 500 feet. Most of the Cockpit Country ranges between 900 and 2,200 feet above sea level. The Cockpit Country is home to an infinite variety of wildlife, and it had been explored by scientists of all disciplines. New species, including land snails, are discovered frequently. It’s home to some of Jamaica’s most exotic land mollusks, including Tudora (Colobostylus) humphreysiana, an operculate with a banded pat- tern and flaring, lavender peristome; and Eutrochatella tankervillei (Gray, 1824) [see Am. Conch. v.15, n.4, p.9]. We took 40 species of land shells on one day of my last excursion. 85-90% of Jamaica’s terrestrials are endemic, and so are a few genera and subgenera — the beehive-shaped Sagda and the dentate Dentellaria, a subgenus of Pleurodonte. the pulmonate families with the most species include the Sagdidae, the Urocoptidae with their cylindrical-shaped shells, the carnivorous Oleacinidae, and the large, solid Camaenidae. The two large operculate families are the Cyclophoridae and the Annulariidae. One can find species from all Photo i Richard Gpuibere Tudora (Colobostylus) humphreysiana (Pfeiffer, 1846), a spectacular half-inch operculate from the Cockpit Country. AMERICAN CONCHOLOGIST VOLUME 16(1 . oe . ws : by ae : at eke A snail-rich habitat along a ‘‘class C’’ road in Lumsden, St. Ann’s Parish. Photos by Richard Goldberg Unique Jamaican ‘‘toothy’’ pleurodontids (Dentellaria): [top] P. picturata (C. B. Adams, 1849) Negril, West- moreland Par., 23mm; and P. sloaneana (Shuttleworth, in Albers, 1861) Mt. Horeb, St. James Par., 27mm. of these families at one collecting station in some inland areas. I collected at least four, and as many as 20 species at each of my 150 stations, none of which had more than a 50 yard radius — a relatively high density of species. The Cyclophoridae and Annulariidae have,for the most part, very limited ranges. In 1942, Bartsch, in his monograph of the cyclophorids, used the operculum as one of the key generic dif- ferences. Without examining opercular sculpture and referring to well-localized data, identifying most of the Jamaican Cyclophor- idae would be near impossible. Opercula are also extremely helpful in differentiating the Annulariidae. Most Jamaicans are very friendly, so a smile and small conversa- tion will quickly make a new friend. But the urban dweller’s at- titude is quite different from that of the rural Jamaican who rarely sees white tourists and thinks them a novelty. Jamaican children were fascinated and amused to learn that I was collecting snails, and could be very helpful if I showed them exactly what I was look- ing for, but I had to discourage them from over-collecting. Giving a few Jamaican dollars to helpers seemed to discourage them from asking for my sneakers, my tee-shirts, even my Nikon F-3 camera! And it is a good policy to ask permission and explain that one is do- ing scientific research before going on private property. One of my guides took me to his brother-in-law’s farm in St. James Parish. Here he plucked such snails as Orthalicus and Thelidomus from the trees with a long pole much like a Liguus pole. His young son picked up snails scattered on the forest floor. I found a nice variety of operculates buried in rock piles near the pig pen! And I got a chance to see how rural Jamaicans live. Jamaican landshell collecting is by far the best and most in- teresting I have experienced. I guess my collecting has come full cir- cle — now I return from a trip saying, ‘‘I wonder if I should have gotten my feet wet looking for marine shells while I was there?”’ ST. JAMES TRELAWNY ST. ANN HANOVER ST. MARY Ocho Lumsden Rios PORTLAND 0 * ST. THOMAS a a o* ST. H Km CATHERINE ~ ST. ; CLARENDON ANOREW Boe sCackail Country yee - Blue Mts. nee - John Crow Mts. oe ee Team ans Map of Jamaica by Richard Goldberg The author studies the geological survey maps in preparation for a trek into the John Crow Mountains. LETTERS Dear Mr. Davies, Your articles on shell deterioration (AmConch Jun., Sept., 1987) have led me to wonder about the fish aquarium floss used by some dealers to stuff shell apertures when an operculum has been saved. I suspect it’s a petrochemical-derived plastic. Can this harm shells? A second question concerns cleaning that heavy coat of gray dust off shells from old collections. I scrub with Ivory Soap and a soft brush, rinsing them and drying with a towel when possible. Is this harmful? John Timmerman Dear John, Chemically speaking, an ester (polyester) ‘‘wool’’ is the organic equivalent of salt: ‘‘polyester’’ means that it is a synthetic ester with a very high molecular weight. Such substances are extremely stable . . . thus unlikely to be harmful to shells. Regarding your method of cleaning old, dirty shells, everything sounds right except for the use of soap, even 99.6% pure Ivory! All true soaps are alkaline by nature and, except for the transparent types, most contain insoluble fillers such as clay, and extreme care would be required to remove all possible residue. I prefer a mild, unscented liquid dishwashing detergent. Ted Davies Don’t miss the Jacksonville Shell Show, July 29-31. Contact John { Fatu, 14149 Tomas Point Lane, Jax, FL (904) 221-1310. VOLUME 16(1) AMERICAN CONCHOLOGIST PAGE 7 BEST OF THE NEWSLETTERS Gulf Coast Shell Club has done it again. It seems Linda and Jim Brunner, Editors of Shell and Tell, are keeping a captive diver chained under their dock and making him write for their publica- tion month after month — all part of a devious plot to capture our coveted and prestigious Best of the Newsletters award. In any case, Bill Parker’s column, ‘‘Shell Diver’s Log,’’’ is the next best thing to actually being there! SHELL DIVER’S LOG by Bill Parker 6/19/87 — Some days are ‘‘Jackpot’’ days! I wake up feeling great; all the lights are green and the checkout girl is waiting for me, alone at the counter. After two weeks of rough weather and rougher seas, it looks possible if not promising for a run to the natural reefs off Phillip’s Inlet. By the time the air and fuel tanks are filled, threatening thunderheads have moved ashore and we have a clear run the 16 miles to our dive site. On Jackpot Days there is no stress. The reef is quickly illumi- nated on the bottom machine and the anchor hangs on the first try. No current threatens a hard, air-devouring swim and visibility ap- pears excellent. The heat is intense, so quickly we tumble over the side into lukewarm, liquid lubricity. A new weight belt utilizing pouches of ‘‘BB’’ shot is far more comfortable than three- or five-pound solid lead blocks. They also prove much more effective in providing stability and ‘‘attitude’’ control. Plankton thins as we slip into the cooler thermocline at 65 feet. A reef stretches right and left shrouded with schools of silver bait fish and studded with gemlike tropical species such as Queen Angelfish, Butterfly Fish, and various Damselfish. The depth is 80 feet. Detailed searching of nooks, crannies and crevices results in a find of one Leafy Jewel Box (Chama macerophylla) and two nice Shovelnose Lobsters for dinner. (Good for the dinner, pooh for the shelling). The dive is spectacular if relatively unproductive, but still the ‘‘Jackpot Day’’ feeling persists as we ascend to a hot, sparkling surface reality. Watermelon — icy, sweet and dipped in salt water — is the most satisfying between-dive snack that we have discovered. Between seeds we considered our next dive. ‘‘let’s try a (spit) shallower (spit, spit) spot,’’ I suggest. ‘‘Like (spit) the 55 reef (spit).’’ This refers to a reef which is the only location for Spondylus ictericus or for Milk Conch, Strombus costatus. “‘Well, (spit) we’ve got several new (spit) LORAN numbers close by (spit) that we’ve never tried.’’ Doc, my dive partner, is quite an articulate watermelon seed processor. ‘‘You (spit) know we need to try some (spit) new spots.’’ Reason prevails. Quenched by cool melon, we pull anchor and move three miles to an unexplored reef in 70 feet of water. Again the anchor hangs quickly. We try to explore one new spot each trip and sometimes have wasted our precious bottom time on virtual deserts. By the same token, some new dives have been our most productive. The bottom machine shows only a slight break, if any, in the level of the hard bottom with its very scattered covering of fish. This can mean anything — the only way to know for sure is to look. So with equipment on and anticipation within, we splinter the silvered surface. No current, and the water is so warm here there is no shock on entry. Curious fish will often come up from the bottom to meet and look us over. Amberjack regularly, grouper sometimes, triggerfish occasionally, but now a first. Queen Angelfish! Dozens! Six to 18 inches long; blue with brilliant yellow patterns and yellow edges on their long, graceful fins, they swirl around us. The bottom appears. A fungoid-appearing forest of sponges, growing on hard surfaces interspersed with patches of sand, all covered with schools of angelfish. Hundreds! Perhaps it is a breeding reef . . . Sponges not more than two inches in diameter reach six feet from bottom. Basket sponges from 2-3’’ to 3-4’ tall sprinkle the landscape, punctured between with various shapes and sizes of ball sponges. In the first basket sponge examined, Doc finds an immature Deer Cowrie, Cypraea cervus, which we leave to mature. It is unusual to see one grazing in the open during daylight. Balls of worm shells, Vermicularia spirata, are interspersed among the sponges, and Thorny Oysters, Spondylus americanus, show up dark against the light bottom. I take only one. It turns out to be orange-yellow, four inches long, with spines up to 2”’.... There is no ledge so we are free to drift helter-skelter over the li- quid fairyland. Moray eels poke curious faces from tubular holes. Large versions of these holes (8-10 inches in diameter) vanish clean- walled and crooked into the limestone. Do creatures keep them clean or does fresh spring water stifle the growth of marine organisms? Knife-edged cracks crisscross the stone, some as much as four feet wide and filled with sand. Sea biscuits make mysterious looking bumps and tracks in the sand. A prize! Then another! Two perfect Alphabet Cones (Conus spurius form atlanticus), one 1’’ and one 2’’. Not a rare cone but only the third and fourth we have found in our area. A blood red Lion’s Paw (Lyropecten nodosus) completes the catch. The only addition to the list, when the catch is inspected at home, is a small white clam with a fibrous brown periostracum which was growing embedded in one of the worm shell balls. It is awaiting quieter times for identification. Jackpot Days! They’re not frequent, but maybe are better for that. When I got to Front Beach Road, the very first car stopped to let me into the line of traffic. Thank you, giver of Jackpot Days! BEST ANSWERS to the question posed at the St. Louis COA Con- vention: Why did the snail cross the road? To get to the Shell sta- tion for a retread. Doreen Chadwick — Delaware MARINE CONFERENCE IN SARASOTA The 21st Annual Meeting of the Association of Island Marine Laboratories will be held at Mote Marine Laboratory in Sarasota, Florida, May 24-27, 1988. Sessions on marine biology, chemistry and toxicology, geology, fisheries, underwater park management, seagrasses, mangroves and coral reefs will be highlighted as special areas of study. For more information, contact Linda Franklin at (813) 388-4441. VOUT fly ye iy y Le OF cas ifz MON Wr é Gy “a . fz John Timmerman One reason some shells are rarely found washed up on beaches. PAGE 8 AMERICAN CONCHOLOGIST VOLUME 16(1) 100 CONCHOLOGICAL YEARS AGO JANUARY 1888. Horace F. Carpenter (1842-1937), a mineralogist of Pawtucket, was writing his book on ‘‘The Shell Bearing Mollusca of Rhode Island.’’ JANUARY 1888. A new 230 page edition of Professor Josiah Keep’s (1849-1911) ‘‘West Coast Shells’’ was published in San Francisco and offered postpaid for $1.75. Keep taught at Mill College from 1885-1911. FEBRUARY 5, 1888. George W. Tyron, Jr., author of ‘“The Manual of Conchology’’ and conservator of the Conchological Section of the Academy of Natural Sciences, died at the age of 50 in Philadelphia. APRIL 23, 1888. Frank Collin Baker (1867-1942), at the age of 20, reported collecting 24 species, 700 specimens, of live marine shells at Onset, Massachusetts. Baker later became curator of mollusks at Chicago and the University of Illinois. JUNE 1888. William H. Dall (1845-1927), of the Smithsonian Insti- tution, published his famous work on the deepsea mollusks ob- tained by the steamer Blake in the West Indies. — gleaned for us by R. Tucker Abbott Nix on Nova Scotia Mollusks — Right on Time In what was described as the most sweeping shutdown in ten years, two western Nova Scotia shellfish grounds were closed due to high levels of paralytic shellfish toxin due to algal blooms in 1987. The Canadian Department of Fisheries prohibited the harvesting of clams, mussels and scallops by recreational shellers and 300 com- mercial clam diggers. All this took place in August 1987 while the National Shellfisheries Association was meeting in Halifax. Their planned technical session was on Toxic Algal Blooms. You can bet their an- nual banquet didn’t serve fresh clam chowder! (Source: The Chronicle-Herald, Halifax, and R. T. Abbott) BEST ANSWERS to the question posed at the St. Louis COA Con- vention: Why did the snail cross the road? To get away from the In- dian who was trying to scallop him. Stephanie and Margaret Rybicki — New York EMERALD GREEN SNAILS by R. Tucker Abbott If oceans are blue and forests are green, why aren’t there more blue or green shells? Look through your collection and see how few shells are truly blue or bright green. Among the exceptions within the marine mollusks are the abalone, Haliotis iris Martyn, 1784 and the Beautiful Jewel Top-shell, Prothalotia pulcherrima (Wood, 1828), both from New Zealand. Nearly all land shells that live on the ground are dull brown, and seem to blend in with the earthy colors of the forest floor. Brightly colored terrestrial snails are usually inhabitants of trees, and yet emerald green is a relatively rare color, even in those snails living among green leaves. No one has ever found a solid green Florida Liguus or Philippine tree snail. However, there are several exceptions, and on these pages are depicted four of the greenest snails in the world. Two of these species are truly green-shelled, but the other two have whitish shells that get their green appearance from the underlying soft body of the snail. from the Compendium of Land Shells — Abbott Best known of the green tree snails is Papuina (Papustyla) pulcherrima Rensch, 1931. It is an abundant species living very high in the tall trees in certain parts of Manus Island, northeast of New Guinea. The 1-inch long shell was put on the U.S. en- dangered list, although only the destruction of their habitat is endangering their existence. VOLUME 16(1 GREEN SNAILS by R. Tucker Abbott Although its internal soft parts give the Aphrodite Crystal Snail a leafy- green coloration, the inch long shell of Crystallopsis aphrodite (Pfeiffer, 1859) is a translucent whitish. A thin, pale straw-colored ‘‘epidermis’’ covers the shell. This common snail is found on low bushes on the coastal plains of several of the Solomon Islands. The green is due to chloro- phyll obtained from the leaves upon which the snail feeds. The Puerto Rican Green Ear Snail, only an inch in length, carries a fragile, transparent shell buried in its green and yellow soft parts. Gaeotis nigrolineata Shuttleworth, 1854, belongs to the family Amphibuli- midae, a group of arboreal snails from South America and the Antilles. The animal is variable in color pat- tern, sometimes being spotted or lined in black (hence the name nigrolineata). The Green Ear Snail lives in the high mountains through- out the western part of Puerto Rico, usually on broad-leafed palms and banana plants. Gabb’s Emerald Helicina, Helicina gabbi Crosse, 1873, is a half-inch jewel from the high mountains of Santo Domingo on the West Indian island of Hispaniola. Like other similar species in this genus of ground- and bush-dwellers, it has a calcareous or shelly operculum that seals off the entire aperture of the Shell. This prosobranch snail has separate sexes, and reduced gills and radular teeth not unlike those of the marine nerite snails. from the Compendium of Land Shells — Abbott photo by Charlotte M. Lloyd from the Compendium of Land Shells — Abbott AMERICAN CONCHOLOGIST N SHELLING IN YAP by Charles E. Bowen* Yap, the land of stone money, lies some 6,300 miles southwest of Los Angeles at 10° north latitude (above New Guinea). Although it is only 450 miles from Guam and its modern high rise hotels and traffic congestion, Yap is developing at a much slower pace. Some Yap natives display the traditional values and customs of Micronesia — loin cloths, bare breasts, woven purses and bare feet — while others wear western dress and drive modern compact cars. The island of Yap is actually composed of several smaller islands connected by short bridges. Although mangroves prevent easy ac- cess to much of the reef, some areas are conveniently open to direct entry. Land is privately owned and a source of pride to the owners, so one needs permission from them to cross their property and enter the reef. Unlike other islands in Micronesia, one can walk or snorkel along the reef flat to the fringing reef since the warm, clear water is only a few feet deep all the way across. Low tide exposes large areas of shell habitat. In shallow water, I found large numbers of common cowries, augers and cones. Many of the smaller specimens were occupied by hermit crabs, but a surprising number were still in fine condition. Unfortunately, on this first exploration, I found no abalone, a principal reason for my trip to Yap. There were no dive shops on Yap then, and at first I did not know this. My reference guide throughout Micronesia, Micronesia Handbook by David Stanley, mentioned that diving could be ar- ranged through a certain Joseph Tamag, the manager of one of Yap’s two hotels. Arriving in Yap, I contacted Mr. Tamag, who said he would try to accommodate me. A day later I received a call from Gabriel, an employee of Mr. Tamag. Gabriel, a Yapese from the island of Satawal who was educated in the USA, would guide me during my underwater excur- sions. He was a little vague about details. The next day I was to learn why: Gabriel had no equipment! Equipment is no problem for me because I travel with everything but the air tank, but we had to equip Gabriel. We borrowed diving equipment from Dr. Uwate, chief of the Marine Resource Manage- ment Division, and tanks at the Protestant Church where there is an air compressor. We were at last ready to go, but for one small problem: the boat we were going to use belonged to a group of native trochus divers who had to empty it of the previous day’s catch, several hundred Trochus niloticus Linné, 1767. Finally, eleven of us piled into the aluminum 19-footer equipped with a 25 h.p. outboard. Just outside the harbor entrance, past the fringing reef, the natives free dived while I got ready to search for abalone. Soon a number of reef fish appeared in the boat, taken by the simple iron spears of divers equipped with masks but no snorkels or fins. During our two dives that day, we saw why they got so many trochus shells — they were everywhere, though the same could not be said for haliotids. This was not totally unexpected since Gabriel, who was familiar with abalone from his stay in California, said he had never seen them in Yap. Perseverance paid off. We eventually found several abalone shells, but no living animal. All five shells that we found were easy to identify as Haliotis ovina Gmelin, 1791, comparing closely with those found at other islands in the Western Pacific. The next morn- ing a look at Yap survey reports at the Division Office indicated a Haliotis species was present on Yap. All too soon it was time to leave this island of contrasts and head for my next island adventure, courtesy of Air Micronesia. I knew I was going to miss the natural beauty of this tropic island, its clean air, warm water, blue skies, plethora of green plant life, many shells and slower-paced lifestyle. But I was sure I wouldn’t miss one thing: the ubiquitous chewing of betel nut and its inevitable residue. *Dr. Bowen is the recipient of a COA grant to assist in his research on the Haliotidae. Chemistry Dept., California Polytechnic University, 3801 W. Tempe Ave., Pomona, CA 91768. hah. COA TROPHY WINNERS AND THE WINNER IS... BIVALVES! Gene Everson receiving his COA Trophy from Don Dan for his winning exhibit, ‘“The Bivalves’’ at the Crown Point Shell Show, September 19-20, 1987. Barbara Barfield and her COA Trophy beside her winning exhibit, ‘Florida and Caribbean Bivalves’’ at the Gulf Coast Shell Show of | Panama City. VOLUME 16(1) AMERICAN CONCHOLOGIST PAGE 11 Bea’s Babies: THE CANNIBAL SNAIL by Bea Winner* Order: Stylommatophora Family: Oleacinidae Genus: Euglandina Species: rosea (Ferussac) Geographical Range: Native to South Carolina, Alabama, Florida, Mississippi and Louisiana. Introduced to Oahu and Mauritius to eradicate Achatina fulica, with negative effects on native snail populations. Euglandina rosea is quite common in Florida. An active predator which feeds on other land snails, it is capable of eating a snail as large as itself, and will prey upon snails in its own genus. The shell is thick, pinkish to tan in color, and has prominent growth lines. Lengths vary from 50-60mm. The snail I had under observation laid 16 white, calcified, shelled eggs on April 3. The ovoid eggs measured 5mm at the major axis. They possessed a large yolk, a necessity for developing young suffi- ciently to fend for themselves when they emerge. On May 9 the eggs started to hatch. There are over sixty families of land snails and 30,000 to 60,000 species. All land snails are hermaphroditic and reproduction in some species is rather complicated. Reciprocal mating is common, because they have both male and female gonads and can produce both eggs and sperm. There is a joint, reciprocal transfer of sperm packages called ‘‘spermatophores.’’ They are stored in ‘‘sper- matheca,’’ special receptor sacs in the body of the snail. It has been reported that storage in the spermatheca for a period of time is necessary for sperm to make the eggs mature fully. Some land snails are capable of self-fertilization. Courtship is usually long in land snails. *Beatrice Winner is the author of a book on reproduction and eggs of mollusks, A Field Guide to Molluscan Spawn, E.B.M., 1987. Photos by Charles Glass Figs. 1-3. A 93mm Naquetia fosteri, Foster & Glass Collection, a paratype AbS 85-1045, SCUBA in a narrow cave in 50m at Coral Beach, Eilat; and a 94mm specimen, AbS 86-037, at night in 30 m on sloping coral drop-off, same area. Figs. 4 & 5. A 96.5mm Naquetia annandalei in the Foster & Glass Collection, AbS 84-237, deep water tangle nets in the central Philippines. NAQUETIA FOSTERI D’ Attilio & Hertz: A New Muricid from the Red Sea by Charles Glass In the Veliger, Vol. 30, 2: 190-195. 1987, Anthony D’ Attilio and Carol M. Hertz described the new species, Naquetia fosteri from the Gulf of Aqaba off Eilat, Israel in the Red Sea. In the paper, the authors compared their new species to Naquetia annandalei (Preston, 1910) and N. trigonula (Lamarck, 1816). In Murex Shells of the World Radwin & D’ Attilio, through lack of adequate material at the time, treated this taxon as N. annandalei. D’ Attilio was not happy with this solution, and when we received several exceptionally fine specimens of this rare taxon from the Red Sea, they confirmed his suspicion of its distinctiveness. The type locality of N. annandalei is the Bay of Bengal, but most currently available specimens of this once rare species come from the Philippines. These have generally been misidentified as N. barclayi, a related species known only from a few specimens. N. fosteri, which attains a length of 95.4mm, is a much larger species than N. trigonula, which attains a length of 55.5mm. It is a more slender shell than N. annandalei with a width-length ratio of 0.384 compared to 0.419 for the latter. Among the other differences are the | presence of ten strong spiral cords on the body whorl and canal, with no microsculpture, instead of 14 nodose cords, and extremely fine microsculpture on N. annandalei. PAGE 12 AMERICAN CONCHOLOGIST VOLUME 16(1) CUBA’S NATIONAL LAND SHELL by Alfredo Romeu, M.D. The Cuban genus Polymita has a prominent place among the world’s most brightly colored terrestrial snails. The simple designs and beautiful colors have for over two hundred years been a source of inspiration for artists and collectors. Uniquely restricted to the eastern province of Oriente, these snails have appeared on the postage stamps of Cuba and gained popular recognition as Cuba’s national land shell. Polymitas abound on bushes and trees in the more remote, mountainous areas of this easternmost end of the island. Polymitas feed mainly on lichens and fungus adhering to the branches of bushes and small trees that grow in partially shaded areas. Evidently, the type of food influences the intensity of color in the shells of some subspecies and forms. The shells of snails living on guava trees, the hicaco or coco-pium and other native plants that contain high amounts of tannin are very dark in color. Like other air-breathing, pulmonate snails, polymitas are monoecious hermaphrodites with each individual possessing both male and female organs of reproduction. During mating there is a mutual exchange of sperm. In rare instances, self-fertilization may occur. The snails are more active during wet periods, particularly from July to October. The snails descend to the ground and lay small, pea-sized white eggs in the moist humus soil. Hatching of the tiny, transparent shells occurs within two weeks, and by the second month they have acquired their characteristic color bands. Specimens of these colorful shells were brought back to Europe by early explorers. The Italian priest, Buonnani, in 1681 illustrated specimens from Oriente, but it was not until 1778 that the Austrian conchologist, Ignatius von Born, christened, and in 1780, figured the first species, Helix picta. He also named the Guantanamo species, versicolor, at the same time. The generic name, Polymita, was not created until 1837 by the Dane, Henrik Beck. The genus is placed in the subfamily Cepolinae of the family Helminthoglyptidae. Although most malacologists readily recognize six species of Polymita today (picta Born, versicolor Born, muscarum Lea, venusta Gmelin, su/phurosa Morelet and brocheroi Pfeiffer), there are some that question the distinctiveness of the many named forms. Indeed, many of the color forms that occur within the same colonies are probably minor genetic variations, as found in petunias and zinnias. The leading student of Polymita was Dr. Carlos de la Torre, a distinguished zoologist and university president in Havana. He amassed a large col- lection and many named forms. His main collections are at Harvard’s Museum of Comparative Zoology and at the United States National Museum in Washington, D.C. Polymitas are still relatively common in some remote areas, but the encroachment by man’s activities in housing, farming and mining has almost eliminated the last refuges of these beautiful land shells. But deep in the hearts of all Cubans will remain this little jewel of the Carib- bean. Some references to Polymita: Jacobson, Morris K., 1974. Cuban Land Snails. Of Sea and Shore, 5(1): 16-18, 4 figs. de la Torre, Carlos, 1950. El genero Polymita. Mem. Soc. Cubana Hist. Nat. 20(1): 5-20, pls. 1-11. Lippincott, J. W., 1953. To Cuba for Tree Snails. Frontiers Magazine (Philadelphia), 18: 1-4, figs. 3-6. Moreno, Abelardo, 1950. Estudio Anatomico del Genero Polymita Beck. Mem. Soc. Cubana Hist. Nat., 20(1): 21-35, pls. 12-22. Parkinson, Brian, Jens Hemmen and K. Groh, 1987. Tropical Landshells of the World (Wiesbaden). 279 pp. (Polymita, pls. 10, 11). Pilsbry, Henry A., 1889. Manual of Conchology (series 2), 5: 52-56, pls. 13, 15, 19. from The Campeniia of Land Shells — Abbott These stunning inch-long Painted Polymitas are only one or two of the twenty minor color forms that grow in Cuba. These paratypes of Polymita picta (Born, 1778) color form iolimbata Torre are from de la Torre’s collection. VOLUME 16(1) AMERICAN CONCHOLOGIST PAGE 13 CUBAN POLYMITAS SPORT OVER 40 COLOR FORMS From the semi-desert conditions north of Guantanamo Bay to the rain-drenched hills beyond Baracoa, dozens of color forms live on Cuban tropical trees. Best known is the typical inch-long Painted Polymita,. Polymita picta (Born, 1778). It is the largest and most fragile of the Oriente species. Professor de la Torre described this quite common form as iofasciata. Note the dark, wide border around the base of the columella. Pee <r; Eh = JI % The smaller and thicker-shelled Sulfur Polymita, Poly- mita sulphurosa (Morelet, 1849), exhibits many color variations within the same colony. The original form was completely yellow. These are color types of the color form flammulata Torre, 1950. All natural size. Photos from Abbott’s forthcoming Compendium of Land Shells In the flat, high plains to the northeast of Santiago de Cuba one can find this bright yellow and red striped species, Polymita venusta (Gmelin, 1791). They live 10-25 feet above ground, and are more active at night. An all-russet-red form occurs in the Sierra Maestra. The hills along the southern coast of Oriente Province are the home of the Sulphur Polymita. These delicately- hued Lilac Polymitas are paratypes from the original lot described in 1950 by Dr. de la Torre as violacea. Note the oblique ‘‘flames’’ of color in this species. The Fly-specked Polymita is characterized by a pinkish base and minute blackish fly-specks scattered over the outside of the shell. Although muscarum Lea, 1834, is the usual name applied to this species from Banes, Cuba, the earlier name globulosa (Férussac, 1821) should pro- bably be used. Brochero’s Polymita from the Cape Maisi region of Oriente was named brocheroi after General Gregorio Brochero by Pfeiffer in 1864. These are paratypes of Torre’s color form cuestana which has a pink columella. The form ovandoi Torre, 1950, has yellowish-tan axial stripes. PAGE 14 AMERICAN CONCHOLOGIST VOLUME 16(1) PASSION CUBANA by Lynn Scheu When Alfredo Romeu and his wife, Esther, fled Cuba to make a new life in the United States in 1969, he had already sent his sons to safety in Miami. But almost as dear to him were the collections he was forced to leave behind — chief among them an extensive collec- tion of Cuban land and tree snails. Interested in nature since early childhood, he found the rich and colorful molluscan fauna of Cuba fascinating, and began to spend long hours observing and collecting land shells. Marine mollusks interested him, but not so much as the brilliant Cuban terrestrial snails, which he has col- lected with a passion his whole life long. As a physi- cian in Batista’s anit-Castro army, he was stationed in Oriente Province, eastern Cuba, where he collected hundreds of the elegant, stylized Cuban Tree Snails, Polymita picta. When Castro came to power, Dr. Romeu and his wife found themselves in a difficult political position. After years of harrass- ment, even imprisonment, they won their release from Cuba. Unable to take anything with them, the Romeus left his collections in the care of friends. The Romeus are a medical family. Alfredo and Esther met in medical school when they were 19. He was a dermatologist, she a pediatrician. When the Romeus came to the United States, 40 years old and unable to speak any English, they were determined to make a new life for themselves. The only opening they found was in an Ohio hospital for the criminally insane. They took new degrees in psychiatry, and now work at the Northeast Florida State Hospital in Macclenny. Their sons are a doctor and dentist. A confirmed collector, Dr. Romeu has built collections of cigar bands, coins, butterflies, stamps, and of course shells. A few at a time, some of his collections have filtered home to him, via im- migrant friends. And he has continued his collection by trading and buying around the world, and self-collecting. His outstanding land shells have won many awards for him, among them, the William J. Clench Award at Jacksonville in 1986, and the 1987 and, now, the 1988 COA Trophy at the Astronaut Trail Shell Show in Melbourne. But a love for land shells is only one aspect of this remarkable man. His passion for nature also manifests itself in his interest in exotic birds — live cockatiels, macaws and pheasants, which enliven his home with color and sound, and bird prints on his walls. A koi goldfish pond and lush flowers surround his home. And he is a member of the Delta Society, which researches the bond between people and their living environment. Of this bond, Alfredo Romeu is living evidence. ABOUT THOSE SHELL CLUB PINS by Jean Cate The discussion of shell club pins in the December issue of American Conchologist reminded me that such emblems were unknown in the United States until 1967, a year after Crawford and I went to Australia. Spending several weeks there, we had the pleasure of visiting shell clubs on both coasts, in every case noting that members faithfully wore special emblems to meetings — even the men, which seemed unusual to us. They called them ‘‘badges.’’ While walking down a street in almost any sizeable city, we often noticed men wearing four or five different badges on their lapels, evidently representing all sorts of societies. On our return home it occurred to us that the Sanibel-Captiva Shell Club might like this idea too, so we contacted the Australian badge-makers. With help from a shell club committee and further correspondence with the manufacturers, we arrived at an attrac- tive, representative design featuring the bright blue Sanibel-Captiva sky above a sunny beach-colored base, with a Scaphella junonia dividing the two. The next step was to select how we wanted them made up. Since Australians didn’t recognize the term ‘‘Bolo Tie,’’ we settled for pins and key rings, with a choice being offered to new members of the club. They were not to be given, traded or sold to non- members. I don’t know whether that rule holds true today, but I still like the idea of membership as a prerequisite to wearing a club’s emblem — something unique to that club alone. Soon after our pins and key rings arrived, the idea seemed to spread; throughout this country other club members began wearing handsome pins displaying their own logos. It pleased us to think we might have played a part in spreading emblems of loyalty among other proud shell clubs in this country. Walter Sage soon sent us one of his club pins, and I believe the Louisville Shell Club may have been one of the first to follow in this tradition. To my knowledge, we don’t have club emblems on the Pacific Coast, but I still treasure mine from the Sanibel-Captiva Shell Club, some twenty years later. If some other shell club had its own wearable emblem prior to 1967, I had not heard of it. In that case, my apology is due to its members. Coventry Junior High Shell Club 1987-88. COVENTRY CONCHOLOGISTS by Kay Peterson There’s been a lot of discussion about which is the oldest shell club in the nation. But we know for certain which is the youngest American shell club — youngest in the average age of its members, that is — The Coventry Junior High Shell Club of Coventry, Rhode Island. We’ll let the club founder, COA member and Coventry teacher, Kay Peterson, tell you about her unique group of shellers. The purposes of the Coventry Junior High Shell Club are four fold: to introduce young people to a scientific hobby, familiarize them with various types of shoreline, promote conservation and teach responsibility within an organization. A Scientific Hobby: At informal weekly lunch meetings I bring specimens of one family or genus. We note distinguishing features, variations within a genus, distribution, habitat and life history. We take evening field trips to adult shell clubs in neighboring states, visit private or museum collections, or shell shops. We have a shell library purchased with a PTA gift. Field Trips: In good weather we take Saturday trips to bays, salt marshes, ocean beaches or rocky areas, noting variations in fauna in differing habitats. During Christmas vacation we combine a party VOLUME 16(1 ‘ ee Coventry Junior High Shell Club 1986-87. with a beach trip, duration governed by weather. Conservation: Visiting a shellfish processing plant and shell dump helps understanding of the commercial uses of shellfish, il- lustrates differences in faunal provinces, and gives access to deep- water species. On beach trips I teach conservation of animals, habitats and shoreline. We note wise or reckless treatment of public resources. Running the Organization: Monday afternoon business meetings are chaired by the President, and a Shell of the Week is presented by a volunteer. The historian calls the roll and keeps the scrapbook, and our Curator manages hall cabinet displays. We also have an elected treasurer and corresponding secretary. We discuss trips and projects (last year, we got Rhode Island to adopt Mercenaria mercenaria as our State Shell) and learn about conchology and collecting. Some after school activities have included making cast-resin paperweights containing local shells, using hand lenses to find micromollusks in tide line sand from tropical vacations, and stag- ing a ‘‘penny auction’’ of donated or purchased shells. This year we are stocking a salt-water aquarium with local fauna. Whether the students go on to become adult collectors, bird- THE LIFE OF A LIGUUS TREE SNAIL by Archie L. Jones One of the great natural inheritances still left to us in Florida are the myriads of colorful tree snails safely hidden away among the tall trees of the Everglades National Park and the Big Cypress Na- tional Preserve. At one time these painted beauties abounded in hardwood hammocks throughout south Florida and the Florida Keys. But ever-spreading civilization has eliminated much of their natural habitat, except in protected parks. The life of a Liguus tree snail (pronounced: /ig-you-us) is not always easy. Droughts (dreaded by most land snails), hurricanes, exceptionally long freezes, marauding birds and rodents, and land development are among the pressures on their shrinking popula- tion. Food, in the form of lichens and moulds clinging to wild tamarind and poisonwood trees in the Everglades, and to Jamaica dogwood and bustic in the Florida Keys, is a waning resource for their survival. The feeding process is carried out by the rasp-like mouth part called the radula, which means ‘‘little file.’’ From the end of the snout, the operating radular ribbon resembles the lapping tongue of a cat drinking milk. Snails eating a dead leaf on a still night may be heard eight to ten feet away. Mating between adult snails occurs at the end of the growing season late in June through August. Courtship begins by an amorous snail climbing on the shell of another snail. Because they are hermaphrodites, each one containing both male and female sex- ual organs, there can be a mutual exchange of sperm between two individuals. Usually, one snail first plays the role of the agressive AMERICAN CONCHOLOGIST PAGE 15 watchers or rockhounds, or merely enlightened beachcombers and conservationists, whether they recall their first brush with Robert’s Rules of Order, or merely the cameraderie of a beach party, I believe that the Shell Club will have been worthwhile. HMS SHELL AUCTION NEEDS YOU! The Hawaiian Malacological Society will be holding its biennial Shell Auction, in combination with its Shell Show, a Lecture Series and Dealers’ Bourse, November 10-13. They need our help to make the Auction a success. Send $1-$10 shells for sale and more valuable shells for auction. The proceeds from this sale support their ex- cellent Scholarship Grant Program, which has distributed over $30,000 in grants over the last decade. Please mail all donations to HMS, ATTN: Shell Show, P.O. Box 22130, Honolulu, HI 96822. SEA SLUGS AND CANCER Mollusks are in the news again. It seems that sea slug toxin, pro- duced in lieu of a shell as protection against predators, is also lethal to tumors. In the attempt to synthesize nudibranch toxin for use in live animal tests, researchers discovered that four of the poison’s five key components are unknown compounds. — from an article in Business Week, 11/16/87, p. 146. LARGE COLLECTION OF LIGUUS FOR SALE. Over 1000 shells, all first quality specimens with complete data. For sale as collection only. P.O. Box 130243, Sunrise, FL 33313. Phone: 305-749-9858. male while the other allows itself to be seduced. After one or two days of courtship, the actual act of copulation is completed in about one day. The sex roles are then sometimes reversed and mating may occur once more. After one or two months, depending on the weather, the mature eggs are ready to be laid, usually upon the arrival of the first rainy spell. The snail leaves its tree home, descends to the ground, and digs a nest in the soft leaf-mould, usually at the base of a food tree. Into this pear-shaped depression the snail deposits from 15 to 50 eggs, each about the size of a garden pea. Many times I have observed this operation in my Miami back yard where I have raised several now-extinct color forms. The eggs are laid at the rate of about ten each day until the nest is filled with eggs. Then earth and leaf mould are ploughed over to form a mat of camouflage. The eggs remain in the ground throughout the long dry seasons until the warm rains of spring call forth the little newly-hatched snails. These emerge as perfect replicas of their parents, capable of self-support the moment they are hatched. It is a fascinating sight to watch 30 or 40 of these little fellows emerge from the ground, in- stinctively climb the nearest tree and immediately begin feeding. Mortality is high during the first month, primarily from drought and birds. The young snails grow two or three complete shelly whorls the first season, another two whorls the second year, and by the fourth year they have reached their 3-inch adult size. By counting the an- PAGE 16 AMERICAN CONCHOLOGIST VOLUME 16(1) LIGUUS (cont.) nual growth marks on the last whorl, one can determine the max- imum age of an individual, sometimes as much as eight or nine years. Every fall of the year the Liguus snails seek protected hiberna- tion places in crevices of the trees, under loose bark and among dense vines. They seal themselves to the trees by secreting a sticky substance which hardens, forming what is known as an epiphragm, thus preventing the loss of precious body moisture during the dry Photos from the Compendium of Land Shells. This specimen of the False Painted Liguus, Liguus fasciatus (Muller, 1774) color form pseudopictus Simp- son, 1920, was raised on an orange tree in the back yard of the famous liguus collector, Ralph Humes. Many rare forms have been raised and preserved in our Everglades National Park. Considered a subspecies by some experts, the Chestnut- banded Liguus displays many color variations. This one is from the Everglades, but those from Key Largo com- monly have solid black or brown bands. This snail is foraging near the ground. The Rose-tipped Liguus, Liguus fasciatus form roseatus Pilsbry, 1912, got its name from the fact that its early whorls are rosy-pink. Sometimes the last whorls are banded with yellow and orange. This snail is re-aligning itself on a branch. Photo by Ralph Humes Photo by W. J. Weber Photo by W. J. Weber months of winter and spring. Whenever a warm rain occurs during winter, a few snails may awaken, unseal themselves and move about actively while the moist conditions continue. For the last fifty years I have tramped through the Florida Keys and Everglades in search of these fascinating little animals. Each year I learn something new about their habits. To me they are a symbol of the grand inheritance of our natural surroundings. Let us hope the Liguus tree snail will be here to inspire future genera- tions of naturalists. These three-year-old specimens of pseudopictus repre- sent a race extinct in their natural habitat on Lower Matecumbe Key, but now thriving in the Everglades Na- tional Park. Most shells of this race lack the broad green band at the base of the shell. These two castaneozonatus, Pilsbry, 1912, or Chestnut- banded, Liguus came from the old Brickell Hammock within the city limits of Miami. One of Florida’s first tree snail hunters, Charles Torrey Simpson, found 13 forms or ‘‘subspecies’’ at that locality. The Rose-tipped Liguus is one of the most widely distributed color forms on the South Florida mainland. Occurring on the Upper Florida Keys as well as in southwest Florida, it was found near Marco Island and the shell mounds of the Ten Thousand Islands. VOLUME 16(1 AMERICAN CONCHOLOGIST PAGE 17 HOLOTYPES OF CUBAN LIGUUS TREE SNAILS Josefa’s Liguus (2.3’’) 5.9 cm Liguus fasciatus form josefae Guitart, 1945. Sierra de Cantu, Sancti Spiritus. Holotype specimen. Yellow-banded Liguus (2.4’’)6cm Liguus crenatus luteolozonatus Guitart, 1945. Lomas de Banao, Sancti Spiritus. Paratypes. Photos from the Compendium of Land Shells. McGinty’s Liguus (1.5’’) 4cm Liguus fasciatus form macgintyi Clench, 1934. Mariel, Pinar del Rio, Cuba. Holotype on right. Noble Liguus (1.5’’) 4cm Liguus f. form nobilis Clench & Aguayo, 1932. Near Cabanes Bay, Pinar del Rio. Holotype on right. Isle of Pines Liguus (1.5’’)4cem Liguus f. form pinarensis Clench, 1934. Punta del Este, Isle of Pines, Cuba. Holotype on right. de la Torre’s Liguus Liguus f. form torrei Clench, 1934. Punta del Este, Isle of Pines, Cuba. Holotype on right. (2.5’’) 6.5 cm Organ Liguus (2”?)5cm Liguus f. form organensis Clench, 1934. El Queque, Vinales Valley, Pinar del Rio. Holotype on right. Holy Spirit Liguus (1.7’’) 4.7 cm Liguus f. form sanctispiritensis Guitart, 1945. Tuinucu, Sancti Spiritus, Cuba. Holotype on right. Green Cuban Liguus (2.5’’)6.5cm Liguus f. form viridis Clench, 1934. Central Soledad, Cienfuegos, Cuba. Holotype on right in Mus. Comp. Zool. Pallid Liguus (1.8’’) 55cm Liguus f. form pallidus (Swainson, 1821). Cayo Magueyal, Pinar del Rio, Cuba. Common on trees. Cut-lip Liguus (2.5’’) 6.5 cm Liguus f. form sissilabre Nodal, 1947. Nuevitas, Camaguey. Upper end of lip notched. Rare. Golden Cuban Liguus (2.5’’) 6.5 cm Liguus fasciatus form xanthus Clench, 1934. San Nicholas, Havana Prov., Cuba. Holotype on right MERICAN CONCHOLOGIST PAGE 18 A VOLUME 16(1) PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE In this issue, you’ll be seeing double . . . double savings in early registration for the Sweet Sixteen COA Convention in Ft. Myers. Complete and mail the enclosed pre-registration form before June 20 and save $5. Better yet, mail in your Early Bird Registration package form before June 1 and save another $5. Don’t pass it up. Why pay more than you have to? DEALERS, what would we do without you? The annual COA Dealer’s Bourse gives us joyous hours of browsing and purchasing your wares. And it gives us the opportunity to meet each other and discuss shells. We love it! But we need help in identifying and reaching all of you. If you are a COA member in good standing, a retail dealer of specimen shells or shell related items and have a Federal Employee Identifica- tion Number (EID#) or similar business operating number, you are eligible to participate in our COA’s Dealer’s Bourses. If you have not received a Dealer’s Bourse agreement form for the convention at Ft. Myers, please write or call me at (813) 392-3747. We don’t want to miss any of you. SPEAKING OF CONVENTIONS, it is a pleasure to announce that the Astronaut Trail Shell Club, Melbourne, FL has tendered a bid to host the 1990 COA Convention. But we still need a host club for 1989. If your club is interested, but somewhat reluctant to undertake the task because of club size, financial considerations or insufficient expertise, let the COA slide presentation lay your fears to rest. It and our handbook, ‘‘Everything You Wanted To Know About Hosting a Convention But Were Afraid To Ask,’’ outline all aspects of hosting a successful convention. Wouldn’t your club like to host the 1989 COA Convention? Call or write me for more infor- mation. WE CROSSED THE 800 MEMBERSHIP HURDLE by the end of 1987! YOU did it! Our membership for 1987 was 840, including 190 new members. Thanks a million to all of you who recruited a new member! I knew you could do it! But we have to hold the ground we’ve gained! We still need 210 new or renewed memberships in 1988 to pass 800. So if you haven’t done so already, send in your membership renewal today. This will be your last issue of American Conchologist until we receive it. And approach that friend whom you know will enjoy COA, and urge him to join us. Your help is vital to the strength and perpetua- tion of COA! COA can’t spell S CCESS without U! Shellingly, Don GALLOPING GREMLINS! In December 1987, we published a whole page of volutes without a credit. Water Sage of the American Museum of Natural History was the mystery contributor. The Gremlin stole the tiny snip of paper with his name on it, in revenge for the expose Walter did on Gremlin antics in the September issue. The Shell Store ad was, as usual, botched up. We’ve given up on that one and asked the Lipes for brand new ad copy for this issue. We think the old ad was jinxed. Fossil nomenclature can be confusing enough without our help. Richard Kirk’s fossil article in June, 1987 contained these caption errors: Page 3, upper right: author of C. madisonia is Say. Page 3, lower right: The large volute on the left is the Scaphella species from Virginia. The spindle-shaped volute beside it on the lower row is the Scaphella species from Maryland. Page 4, left: top row, right is Ptychosalpinx altilis. Page 4, right: shell on right is Buccinofusus parilis. Page 5, upper left: shell second from right on lower row is Scalaspira strumosa. Page 5, lower left: shell second from left, up- per row is Crucibulum grandis also. Page 5, right: shell fourth from left, lower row is Surcula rotifera. BEST ANSWERS to the question posed at the St. Louis COA Con- vention: Why did the snail cross the road? He needed to get to the Express-Car-Go. Stephanie and Margaret Rybicki — New York BOARD TALK From Vice-President ALAN GETTLEMAN: Most of our affil- iated shell clubs have a COA representative, a liason between COA and your club. The Club Rep. disseminates current information, and receives feedback from your club members on how COA can be an asset to your club. If you don’t have a COA Club Rep., ask your club to appoint one. If you wish to know the name of a club representative or point of contact for any of our member clubs, please write me a note. Let your COA representative know of your ideas concerning COA. At the spring shell shows you may note a new item, a table witha sign saying, ‘‘Ask me about the Conchologists of America.’’ We have asked the clubs to have their COA members assist us in spreading the word about COA and its activities. If your show this spring has a COA booth, volunteer your time to your club rep. and let people know you are part of a proud international conchological organization. Is your club one of the several U.S. clubs that are not yet members of COA? Urge them to take this opportunity to support the hobby and join our growing conchological network. From Shell Show Chairman DONALD DAN: On the weekend of June 18-19, at Lutry, Switzerland, the Salon International du Coquil- lage will award its first Conchologists of America Grand Trophy. COA wishes to extend a warm welcome to this newest addition to the growing family of shell shows that award the prestigious COA Trophy. Anyone wishing information about the Salon Interna- tional du Coquillage’s Seventh Annual Show may contact Dr. Ted Baer, CH-1602, La Croix, Switzerland. From COA Treasurer, WALTER SAGE: Many thanks to those members who have sent in their 1988 dues payments. Those of you who paid twice will be credited for 1989 and notified before 1989 dues reminders are mailed out. At this writing, we still have approx- imately 200 members who haven’t yet paid their 1988 dues. Please save us all time and expense by checking your records and sending your check TODAY! BACK ISSUES A good supply of back issues of the COA Bulletin (now American Conchologist) is available from Bernie and Phyl Pipher, 1116 ‘‘N”’ Street, Tekamah, Nebraska 68061. The cost, including postage, is $1.00 per issue prior to 1985, and $2.50 per issue for 1985 and later. The numbers which will be most interesting and which contain the best articles on Conchology are those published from December, 1979 to the present. The COA Bulletin, prior to that date, was primarily a newsletter containing information about conventions. In fact, many of the early issues are brief, mimeographed fliers. We would like to have a complete set of Bulletins, but Numbers 2 and 9 are missing from our archives. Can anyone supply us with a copy of either of these? If so, please send them to the above ad- dress. 2 fa THANKS, NORMA! aS) The little stylized graphics you’ve been seeing scat- tered about our pages are the work of Norma Merrill ( He Hattman, of North Fort Myers, Florida. Norma is an artist- “) conchologist who does silk screen graphics of shells. Look for her articles in the pages of the Junonia, publication of the Sanibel-Captiva Shell Club, of which she is a member. 4 n.mnn- - VOLUME 16(1) AMERICAN CONCHOLOGIST PAGE 19 SHELLS IN PRINT by Richard L. Goldberg TROPICAL LANDSHELLS OF THE WORLD, by Brian Par- kinson, with Jens Hemmen and Klaus Groh. Published by Verlag Christa Hemmen, Wiesbaden, W. Germany, 1987. 279pp, 77 color plates, 64 color fig. (2 maps). 198 DM = approximately U.S. $125. Over the past century, interest in terrestrial shells has waxed and waned. Almost 100 years ago, the eminent malacologist Dr. H. A. Pilsbry continued Tryon’s second series of Manual of Conchology dealing with land shells. Between 1885 and 1926, in 28 volumes, he attempted to illustrate and discuss all of the known pulmonate species, one of the greatest undertakings on the subject to date. Many hundreds of other papers on land snails have been published since then, but no popular work appeared until 1948 when Walter F. Webb, noted collector and shell dealer, produced Foreign Land Shells from All Parts of the World. This book quickly became the standard for collectors interested in land shells. Suffering from poor illustrations, it was, nevertheless, full of useful information, and did help to promote an interest in the terrestrials. Since that time, collector interest in land shells has dwindled. Lack of well-illustrated and informative popular publications on the subject and a flood of spectacular new marine species have caused collectors to all but forget that land shells exist. So, in 1980, Brian Parkinson started compiling a general reference for collec- tors, to illustrate in color the beautiful and diverse tropical land shell fauna. To widen the scope of his project, he later collaborated with Jens Hemmen and Klaus Groh of West Germany, and others. Thus we now see come to fruition TROPICAL LANDSHELLS OF THE WORLD. It would be unrealistic to believe that this book is, or could be comprehensive. After all, terrestrials make up, perhaps, 30 to 50 thousand species in the Phylum Mollusca. Instead, this book represents an introduction to the vast and beautiful land shell fauna of the tropics. TROPICAL LANDSHELLS opens with an introduction to their origins, classification, anatomy and adaptation. Two maps il- lustrate the natural forms of vegetation, and the zoogeographical zones in the tropics. The book is organized around five geographical regions: Florida-Caribbean, Central and South America, Africa and Adjacent Islands, Tropical Asia and Tropical Pacific. In the next five chapters, authors with expertise in each area discuss the ecology, fauna and systematics of the species found in that region. These interesting discussions are uneven in emphasis because each chapter was written by a different author. Interesting photos of live snails and snail habitats make the book visually ap- pealing. After the five regional chapters, a chapter outlining tropical land shell systematics is also divided by regions. A list of the references used to compile this section is quite helpful for novices needing a better understanding of the systematics and help in organizing their collections. The 77 color plates at the back are also grouped by regions. Some genera — Helicostyla, Papuina, Liguus, for instance — are well- represented, while others are not. Landshells, especially the helicoid-shaped species, are hard to identify from only one angle. Webb’s book suffered from this defect, but, for the most part, TROPICAL LANDSHELLS has remedied it. Showing the peristome, its color, shape and dentition, would have been useful. Nonetheless, the plates are large, crisp, clear, and close to lifesize, picturing 1,000 shells of about 650 species. (Few species under one half inch are included.) No species descriptions are given. The advanced collector may find the regional bibliographies helpful. Each lists references needed for further research of the five regions. Hundreds of citations are included. A general bibliography and index round out the book. Some printing errors and misidentifications have crept into the book. Also, there will be some disagreement on the use of certain nomenclature in the chapter on systematics. The authors state at the outset that some workers may debate the validity of their place- ment and usage of some genera and subgenera. For example, they use the Family Chondropomidae, instead of Annulariidae, Pomatiasidae or Chondropomatidae, the choices of other workers. But there seems to be no clearcut answer in a case like this. Australian malacologists differ on whether the large, beautiful species in the genera Pedinogyra and Hedleyella should be in the Family Caryoididae or the Subfamily Caryoidinae in the Family Acavidae. TROPICAL LANDSHELLS opts for Caryoididae. And the family Neocyclotidae is used instead of Cyclophoridae for New World Cyclophorid operculates. Again, there are no clear answers. Recently no one standard reference seems to be in use for land shell systematics. Current family revisions frequently overturn earlier systematics. In the United States, many museums continue to use the fundamental but outdated works of Wenz and Zilch for classification of their collections. Errors and taxonomic disagreements aside, this wonderful and beautifully illustrated book should be included in the library of any collector with even the slightest interest in land shells. Its ap- pearance definitely marks a resurgence of interest in land shells, and is, no doubt, only the first of a number of books on the subject of the terrestrials. WITH THE CLUBS by Margarette Perkins Ed Blackwell, an artist and member of the Indianapolis Shell Club, has designed a limited edition print of Linné to help finance this year’s Midwest Shell Show. Anyone interested in more infor- mation may contact Carl Sahlberg, Indianapolis Shell Club, 7826 Camberwood Drive, Indianapolis, IN 46268. Lisa Mitchell, of the Palm Beach County Shell Club, is inves- tigating strange molluscan behavior. It all started with her observa- tion of a Pleuroploca gigantea feeding on a Strombus raninus. Contact her at 140 Gull’s Nest, Royal Palm Beach, FL 33411 to share similar experiences. The Greater Miami Shell Club’s field trip to Venice, Florida to look for fossil sharks’ teeth netted Helen Jarrett a rare, 3-inch tooth of Carcharodon megalodon, an extinct 70’ shark. The Sanibel-Captiva Shell Club has adopted the newly-formed Venezuelan Society of Malacology as a sister club with the idea of exchanging information and trading specimens. The club also reports that on October 23, 1987 a bill became law prohibiting col- lection of more than two live shells per species per day in Sanibel city waters, up to 300’ offshore. In another conservation effort the Sanibel-Captiva Club has con- tributed $500 to the Center for Environmental Education to adopt a mooring buoy for Florida’s Key Largo National Marine Sanc- tuary. The buoys are a hopeful solution to the increasing problem of massive coral destruction caused by anchoring. AMERICAN CONCHOLOGI. PAGE 20 ST VOLUME 16(1) AMU 1988 ANNUAL MEETING The AMU 1988 Annual Meeting will be held in Charleston, South Carolina, June 19-26, 1988 at the Radisson Francis Marion Hotel. Three Symposia will be presented: Applications of Nucleic Acid Techniques to Molluscan Systematics, convened by Dr. M. G. Harasewych; Systematics and Evolution of Non- marine Mollusks, convened by Dr. Robert Hershler; and History of Malacology, convened by Dr. W. Backhuys. Marine, non-marine and fossil field trips are being plan- ned. For information, contact R. E. Petit, P.O. Box 30, North Myrtle Beach, SC 29582 (telephone 803-249-1454; evenings 803-249-1651). Advertising in the Bulletin is presented as a service to our membership, but does not automatically imply Bulletin endorsement of the advertisers. Advertising space is available at the rate of $75.00 for a half page; yearly rate (4X): $275.00; quarter page: $50.00; yearly rate: $175.00; eighth page: $35.00; yearly rate: $115.00; minimum ad (1’’): $20.00; yearly rate: $75.00. Camera-ready copy only will be accepted at this rate. (except for the 1”’ minimum size). There will be an additional charge for halftones and non- camera ready copy. Copy may be changed for any issue. Deadlines are month prior to publication months (ie., by January